Israel Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef on Sunday urged the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to not shy away from doing everything necessary to protect the innocent civilians of Syria from ongoing massacres by their own government.

A day after Syrian regime forces were accused of using chemical weapons against a rebel-held town killing dozens of men, women and children, Rabbi Yosef issued a statement reading:

"I have said in the past and I will say it again, what’s happening in Syria is genocide of women and children in its cruelest form, using weapons of mass destruction. We have a moral obligation not to keep quiet and to try and stop this massacre.

"As Jews who have experienced genocide, as Jews whose Torah is a light to the nations, it is our moral obligation to try and stop this murder. It is an obligation no less important than the moral obligation to destroy the nuclear reactor in Syria."

Just hours after the rabbi released his statement, someone carried out a devastating aerial strike against a regime air force base in central Syria, killing 14 people, including Iranian nationals.

America and France, which both have air forces in the region, denied any involvement.

Russia, which is backing the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, said it knows who was responsible – Israel.

Maintaining its policy of ambiguity, the Netanyahu government refused to comment. But, the Syrian air base in question has been bombed by Israel in the past.

Known as the Tiyas, or T-4, air base, it is believed to be home to an Iranian drone program.