Russia warns against attacking Damascus, says West is lying

Moscow accuses the United States of wanting to interfere in Russia's presidential election and of concocting fake news about a pending Syrian chemical strike against civilians, and it says it's being falsely blamed for the spy poisoning in the UK.
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Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov arrives for the opening ceremony of the International Army Games 2017 in Alabino, outside Moscow, Russia, July 29, 2017. - REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
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Maxim A. Suchkov
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MOSCOW — Moscow plans to respond to any US strike on Syria and will target any missiles and launchers involved in such an attack, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the head of the Russian General Staff, warned Tuesday.

“The US seeks to use [any alleged] provocation … as a pretext to strike government areas in Damascus,” Gerasimov told state-operated news agency RIA.

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