Who is to blame for recent chemical attack in Syria?

In a recent development regarding the Syrian Crisis, reports of a chemical attack in the opposition-held city of Idlib have sparked a new wave of allegations against the Syrian government. This is while the opposition has still no proof for the allegations and the Syrian army has maintained that it had no role in the attack.

کد خبر: ۶۸۲۲۶۷

تاریخ: ۱۶ فروردين ۱۳۹۶ - ۱۵:۳۱

Tabnak - In a recent development regarding the Syrian Crisis, reports of a chemical attack in the opposition-held city of Idlib have sparked a new wave of allegations against the Syrian government. This is while the opposition has still no proof for the allegations and the Syrian army has maintained that it had no role in the attack.

The Syrian military yesterday categorically denied the accusations leveled against it about being involved in a suspected chemical attack in the country's northwestern Idlib Province that killed dozens of people.

"The army command categorically denies using any chemical or toxic substance in Khan Shaykhun today," the Syrian army said a statement carried by the official SANA news agency on Tuesday. The Syrian military also stressed that "it has never used them (chemical weapons), anytime, anywhere, and will not do so in the future.”

The Syrian military further blamed any use of chemical weapons on Syria's opposition and those who support them, noting that militants fabricate accusations of toxic gas attacks to divert attention from their failures on the ground.

However, the claim that Syrian government has used chemical weapons against its own citizens persisted until today, as it is the favorite story line of the Western media which overwhelmingly support the Syrian opposition.

Meanwhile, a new report published by the Russian media further clarified the whole issue. Russian news outlet RT quoted Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman as saying the Syrian Air Force has destroyed a warehouse in Idlib province where chemical weapons were being produced and stockpiled before being shipped.

The strike, which was launched midday Tuesday, targeted a major rebel ammunition depot east of the town of Khan Sheikhoun, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

The warehouse was used to both produce and store shells containing toxic gas, Konashenkov said. The shells were delivered to Iraq and repeatedly used there, he added, pointing out that both Iraq and international organizations have confirmed the use of such weapons by militants.

The same chemical munitions were used by militants in Aleppo, where Russian military experts took samples in late 2016, Konashenkov said. The Defense Ministry has confirmed this information as "fully objective and verified,” Konashenkov added.

On the other hand, a UN Security Council meeting has been called by the United States to discuss the issue, while the United Nations said it could not verify if the attack took place. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has set up a Fact Finding Mission (FFM) to gather information about the alleged incident.

It should be noted that in late October-early November 2016, a number of chemical attacks were conducted in Syria's city of Aleppo by militants, killing dozens of Syrian servicemen and civilians.

The Syrian government urged the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to conduct the investigation, while the Russian Defense Ministry handed the results of the chemical use probe to Syria’s national regulator in charge of implementing the OPCW convention.

"The people who have benefited from this kind of attack are the rebels themselves, because they have gained a major political advantage at a time when they are struggling both strategically and geopolitically,” Charles Shoebridge, a British security analyst and counterterrorism expert, told RT.

The expert went on to say that the Syrian government forces in fact had no motivation to carry out such an attack, as they are already "gaining major victories” over the armed opposition groups and terrorists alike "across Syria.” Maybe an "independent” survey of the event could help better understand who has been under the whole incident.