UNITED NATIONS, April 7. /TASS/. Russia is receiving "direct signals" that a military operation is under preparation in Syria and warns that those behind it will bear the responsibility for all its consequences, Russia’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN Vladimir Safronkov told reporters after a meeting in the UN Security Council held behind closed doors.

The meeting took place amid media reports on the upcoming military operation, he said. "We are receiving direct signals here that this operation is being prepared," the diplomat said. During the discussion in the UNSC, Russia warned that "those who invent these projects will bear the responsibility for all the possible consequences," he said.

Less than half an hour after the meeting, the first reports came that the US launched missile strikes on Syria. According to the NBC TV channel, the strikes came in response to what Washington believes was the Syrian government’s use of banned chemical weapons in the province of Idlib.

The Tomahawk cruise missiles were intended for a single target - Ash Sha'irat, home to an airfield from which the US intelligence believes the alleged chemical attack had been carried out.