WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Russian lawmaker says that a U.S. strike on Syria could trigger a direct military clash between Russia and the United States.

Vladimir Shamanov, a retired general who heads the defense affairs committee in the lower house of parliament, said in televised remarks Tuesday that a U.S. strike in Syria could hurt Russian servicemen and trigger Russian retaliation.

He said that Russia has “the necessary means for that and the Americans and their allies know that quite well.”

Shamanov emphasized that a retaliatory Russian strike could target U.S. navy ships and aircraft. He added that the use of nuclear weapons is “unlikely.”

President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with national security adviser John Bolton in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 9, 2018, at the start of a meeting with military leaders. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)