Russian official media quotes the foreign ministry as confirming that the White House informed the Russian embassy. It follows days of confusion over the matter.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons would not confirm whether its inspectors have entered Douma, the site of a suspected chemical weapons attack earlier this month.
The Syrian leader has few friends. Yet after seven years of devastating war in his country, he's in a position of relative strength and there's no realistic alternative to his continued rule.
U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley told CBS that sanctions would target companies in Russia helping Syria in its chemical weapons production. Later, though, the White House said no decision has been made.
Slogans were shouted and American and Israeli flags burned in protests in three major Iraqi cities following a call from a former leader of an anti-U.S. militia.
The U.S., Britain and France carried out airstrikes against chemical research, storage and military facilities in Syria following a suspected chemical weapons attack.
The latest action in Syria — which comes shortly after the president said he wanted to withdraw U.S. troops from the country — illustrates the competing impulses that drive his foreign policy.
The military strikes were ordered by President Trump in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack on April 7 by the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad on its citizens.
A team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons plans to begin investigating the attack in Douma by Saturday. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called the attack "inexcusable."
President Trump had a ready retort to a Russian threat to shoot down any U.S. missiles in Syria: "Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and 'smart!'"