Syria’s President Bashar Assad has said the Western air strikes against his country were accompanied by a campaign of “lies” and misinformation at the UN.

He spoke on Sunday to a group of visiting Russian politicians, and his comments were carried by state media.

Assad and Russia deny using chemical weapons, the trigger for the strikes early on Saturday.

An alleged gas attack last weekend in the town of Douma killed more than 40 people, according to opposition activists and rescuers.

Assad told his visitors that the US, Britain and France, which carried out the strikes, had waged a campaign of “lies and misinformation” against Russia and Syria.

The UN Security Council has been paralysed in dealing with the seven-year Syrian conflict and the use of chemical weapons.

Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member, is a close ally of Assad.