The U.S. military fired a barrage of missiles into Syria early Friday in retaliation for a gruesome chemical weapons attack blamed on President Bashar al-Assad's forces that killed about 100 civilians. It is the first direct U.S. assault on Syrian government forces.

Russia, which is providing troops and air support to the Assad government, condemned the U.S. military action, calling it an "aggression against a sovereign state," and said they were suspending a memorandum of understanding for flight safety over Syria between Russia and the United States.

The 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched about 4:40 a.m. local time from the U.S. Navy destroyers USS Ross and USS Porter, which are deployed in the eastern Mediterranean. The missile launch lasted for three to four minutes, U.S. officials said.

U.S. forces are said to have targeted Shayrat Airfield in western Syria in retaliation for the chemical weapons attack American officials believe Syrian government aircraft launched on a rebel-held town with a nerve gas, possibly sarin.

A Navy official told VOA the airfield was targeted because it was most likely used to launch Tuesday's chemical strikes.

"We have a very high level of confidence that the attacks were carried out under aircraft under the direction of Bashar al-Assad's regime. We have very high confidence that the attacks involved the use of sarin nerve gas," U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during a security briefing to reporters late Thursday.

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