Russia says will respond "with dignity" if USA mounts Syria strike

Russia will respond with dignity and proportionately if the United States takes pre-emptive measures against Syrian government forces to stop what Washington says could be a planned chemical attack, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference with his German counterpart, Lavrov said he hoped that the United States was not preparing to use its intelligence assessments about the Syrian government's intentions as a pretext to mount a "provocation" in Syria.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)