'Priority is to avert war', says Russian envoy

Russia has called for the UN Security Council to meet today to discuss Syria and has requested that UN chief General Antonio Guterres publicly brief the 15-member body.

It follows an urgent plea from Moscow's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia that the immediate priority is to avert the danger of war.

"We hope that there will be no point of no return, that the US and their allies will refrain from military action against a sovereign state. You understand that the danger of escalation is higher than simply Syria because our military are there on the invitation of the Syrian government," Nebenzia said.

Meanwhile, a team of experts from the global chemical weapons watchdog OPCW is en route to the site of the suspected gas attack that has triggered the current crisis. Russia backs the visit of the team, which has no mandate to apportion blame.