Islam Times - Militants preparing to stage new chemical attack in Syria’s Idlib, Russia warns

Militants preparing to stage new chemical attack in Syria’s Idlib, Russia warns

Islam Times - Russia has warned that foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants are preparing for a chemical attack in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib to implicate government troops and invent pretexts for possible foreign acts of aggression on the crisis-hit Arab country.

Speaking during a press briefing in the Russian capital Moscow on Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, voiced her country’s concern over the unfolding situation in Idlib province.

She warned that terrorists are seeking to escalate tensions there through organizing new false flag chemical attacks, stressing that the discovery of a field hospital belonging to members of the so-called civil defense group White Helmets in Syria’s western-central province of Hama constitutes a solid proof.

Zakharova highlighted that medical equipment, gas masks and their filters in addition to chemical protective clothing and equipment were recovered from the site, calling on the international community to deal seriously with the possible false flag operations and use of chemical weapons by Takfiri terrorist groups.

The top Russian official went on to say that terrorists’ dangerous and provocative actions in Syria’s western provinces of Hama, Idlib and Latakia, which threaten Syrian civilians, military personnel and the Russia-run Hmeimim airbase cannot be tolerated.

Despite terrorists’ aggressive assaults, Russia remains committed to the agreement on stabilization the situation in Idlib. Russian and Turkish military personnel are in constant contacts to prevent any possible escalations, Zakharova said.

On April 14, 2018, the US, Britain and France carried out a string of airstrikes against Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack on the city of Douma, located about 10 kilometers northeast of the capital Damascus.

Washington and its allies blamed Damascus for the Douma attack, an allegation rejected by the Syrian government.

Western governments and their allies have never stopped pointing the finger at Damascus whenever an apparent chemical attack takes place.

Syria surrendered its stockpile of chemical weapons in 2014 to a joint mission led by the United States and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which oversaw the destruction of the weaponry. It has also consistently denied using chemical weapons.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.