Amman: Syrian air defences shot down eight missiles after a major air base in central Syria was struck in the early hours of Monday, Syrian state television reported.

The state broadcaster said explosions were heard at the T-4 airfield near Homs, which is close to the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria. It said there were several dead and wounded.

Syrian state media said they were suspected to be US strikes but US officials said that the US military had not launched air strikes.

US President Donald Trump said earlier on Sunday there would be a ‘big price to pay’ after medical aid groups reported dozens of people were killed by poison gas in a besieged rebel-held town in Syria.

The Syrian state denied government forces had launched any chemical attack. Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful ally, called the reports fake.