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Russia has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting, after members the US, UK and France launched a series of airstrikes on Moscow's ally Syria, early Saturday morning.

The meeting in New York will take place at 11am local time (3pm GMT) and comes after strikes on three chemical weapons facilities in Syria, following a toxic gas attack on an opposition town last week.

Russia has been angered and embarrassed by the intervention from the US, UK and France, after Moscow's repeated threats and warnings this week that Western military action could spark a third world war.

These threats were ignored with the US announcing that launching more than a hundred missiles on positions in Homs and Damascus, in retaliation at last week's chemical massacre in Douma.

NATO and EU members have largely backed the action - including Germany and Turkey - along with US regional allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar also applauding the strikes.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, however, warned that the actions could spiral into something bigger.

"I urge all member states to show restraint in these dangerous circumstances and to avoid any acts that could escalate the situation and worsen the suffering of the Syrian people," Guterres said.

But he also condemned last week's chemical attack - believed to be carried out by the regime - which killed at least 40 people.