Westerners Accuse Syria of Launching Chemical Attacks

Western military powers have once again accused the Syrian government of launching chemical attacks, while the Syrian Army is reportedly preparing to recapture the last terrorist-held regions in the northern province of Idlib.

News ID: 71927

Date: 22 August 2018 - 19:00

TEHRAN (Defapess) –The US, Britain and France issued a joint statement on Tuesday, describing as “horrific” a chemical attack that had killed hundreds of people in the Ghouta suburb of Syrian capital Damascus in August 2012.

The alleged use of sarin gas led to a US-Russian agreement to eliminate the Syrian government’s chemical weapons.

Since then, the US, Britain and France have accused Syria of resorting to the use of chemical weapons during military offensives in Khan Sheikhoun, Ltamenah, Saraqeb and Douma.

Following suspected chemical attack in Douma in April, the three Western countries launched punitive military strikes in Syria.

“As we have demonstrated, we will respond appropriately to any further use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime, which has had such devastating humanitarian consequences for the Syrian population,” the statement said.

Washington, London and Paris have also expressed concern at reports of a Syrian government’s military offensive in the northern province of Idlib, the last major terrorist-held bastion.

“We remain resolved to act of the Assad regime uses chemical weapons again,” the Western allies warned.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview in June with Russia’s state-controlled NTV television channel that his government got rid of all its chemical weapons in 2013 and that allegations of their use are a pretext for invasion by other countries.

In comments on Tuesday -the fifth anniversary of the 2013 chemical weapons attack in Ghouta- a representative of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party told Sputnik that every achievement of the Syrian government forces in the last five years has been "suddenly" followed by allegations of Damascus orchestrating chemical attacks.

"All these five years since the attack were full of chemical weapons stories. Every time when the Syrian army together with the Russian allies made any success -be it in Ghouta or in Homs or in Hama- suddenly new chemical attacks were taking place. These chemical stories were always invented when there was some action -political negotiations or military. When there was a success in the military or political settlement, then suddenly we had something related to chemical weapons," Tarek Ahmad said.

Most recently, in April, an attack was reported in the city of Douma. The Syrian government refuted allegations of its involvement. However, a week later, the US, France and Britain carried out a series of airstrikes against several government facilities in Syria that allegedly stored chemical weapons.

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