Syria, Russia blame Israel for airstrike on Syrian base that killed 4 Iranians

Four Iranian military personnelwere killed in an airstrike on a Syrian airbase on Sunday,Iran's Fars news agency said, as Syria and its main allies Iranand Russia blamed Israel for carrying out the attack.

Israel has not confirmed or denied mounting the raid, butIsraeli officials said the Tiyas, or T4, airbase near Homs was being used by troops from Iran, and that Israel would not acceptsuch a presence in Syria by its arch foe.

The Revolutionary Guards, Iran's most powerful militaryforce, hasbeen fighting in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for several years. More than 1,000 Iranians have beenkilled in Syria, including senior members of the Guards.

The semi-official Fars news said on Monday that four"defenders of the shrine" were killed in the airstrike.

Iran calls its fighters in Syria the defenders of the shrine, as it says the forces are there to protect the Zeinab Shrine, a Shiaholy site near Damascus.

Drone operator killed?

Some Iranian media reported that one of those killed was amember of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Force, a divisionthat operates drones.

Israel said in February it had intercepted an Iranian dronelaunched from Syria, and carried out airstrikes against air defences and Iranian targets in the country. Iran denied at thetime the downing of its drone in Israel.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-basedmonitor, said at least 14 people were killed in the Sunday's raid, including some fighters of various nationalities.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokespersonBahram Qasemi condemnedthe attack, calling it "an obvious breach of international lawsthat would make the Syrian crisis and regional equations morecomplicated."

The attack took place hours after U.S. President DonaldTrump warned of a "big price to pay" following the reports of apoison gas attack on the rebel-held town of Douma thatkilleddozens of people, including children.