According to the source, the channels had not been cut off despite the developments in Syria.
Earlier in the day, three NATO states — France, the United States, and the United Kingdom — launched strikes on a number of targets in Syria in response to the alleged chemical incident in the city of Duma. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the three countries fired over 100 cruise as well as air-to-surface missiles.
READ MORE: What We Know So Far on Syria Missile Strike Before Probe Into "Chemical Attack"
The Russian Defense Ministry said the Syrian defense forces managed to intercept 71 cruise missile out of 103, including all that had been fired at Dumayr military airport located 40 kilometers (24 miles) north-east of Damascus.
The Russian General Staff said it views the strike not as a response to an alleged chemical attack, "but a reaction to the success of the Syrian armed forces in the liberation of its territory from international terrorism." It has emphasized that the attack had been carried out exactly on the day, when the OPCW special mission was set to start its work in Damascus to probe the incident in the city of Douma, where chemical weapons had allegedly been used.