Washington/Beirut — US President Donald Trump warned Russia on Wednesday of imminent military action in Syria over a suspected poison gas attack, declaring that missiles "will be coming" and criticising Moscow for standing by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The rouble slid to its lowest since 2016 as tensions with the US over new punitive sanctions and the conflict in Syria eclipsed support from higher oil prices. Trump was reacting to a warning from Russia on Tuesday that any US missiles fired at Syria over the deadly assault on a rebel enclave would be shot down and the launch sites targeted. His comments raised fears of direct conflict over Syria for the first time between the two world powers backing opposing sides in the country’s protracted civil war, which has aggravated instability across the Middle East. "Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’," Trump tweeted. "You shouldn’t b...

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