Dow set to drop nearly 300 points after Trump taunts Russia to 'get ready' for missiles coming to Syria

Stock index futures dropped ahead of the open on Wednesday after President Donald Trump taunted Russia on Twitter to "get ready" for a possible missile strike on Syria.

Around 7:20 a.m. ET, Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 251 points, indicating a drop of 276 points at the open. Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 futures also indicated a negative start to Wednesday's session for their respective markets.

Trump said in a tweet: "Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and 'smart!' You shouldn't be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!"

The president's threat comes after Russia's ambassador to Lebanon told local media that Russia would shoot down American missiles headed Syria's way. This follows an alleged chemical weapons attack by President Bashar Assad that killed dozens in a rebel-held area over the weekend.

The moves in premarket trading came after Wall Street saw strong gains during Tuesday's session, with the Dow rallying more than 400 points to close up at 24,408.

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York.

Market sentiment was upbeat Tuesday after Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed plans to further open up his country's economy, suggesting measures that included lowering import tariffs on products including autos.

Talk of a potential trade war continues to rattle sentiment, while Facebook kept Wall Street preoccupied Tuesday as the tech giant's CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in front of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees.

He said that Facebook didn't notify the Federal Trade Commission about the data leak surrounding Cambridge Analytica, as they considered it a closed case years ago. Zuckerberg is due to speak to the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday morning.

Turmoil within the U.S. administration will remain a focus, following news that the FBI raided the New York office and residence of Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen on Monday.

In data, mortgage applications fell last week, driven lower by another drop in refinances. The consumer price index report is released at 8:30 a.m. ET and the monthly Treasury statement at 2 p.m. ET.

The minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's March meeting are due to be released at 2 p.m. ET. No speeches by the Federal Reserve are scheduled for Wednesday.

—CNBC's Sara Salinas contributed to this report.