Following Orders

Russia: We Told the U.S. Where in Syria It Couldn’t Bomb

Kremlin insists it set out “red lines” ahead of last weekend’s airstrikes.

Russia has claimed that it told the U.S. where in Syria it couldn’t bomb ahead of last week’s airstrikes on the country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was contact between the Kremlin and Washington before last weekend’s strikes by France, the U.K., and the U.S. and that the strikes avoided the “red lines” set out by Russia. Lavrov said: “There were military leadership contacts, between generals, between our representatives and the coalition leadership. They were informed about where our red lines are, including red lines on the ground, geographically. And the results show that they did not cross these red lines.” Around 105 missiles were launched in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack in the Syrian city of Douma on April 7 that killed more than 70 people.