Russian Defense Ministry Dismisses Reports Of Idlib Chemical Attack As Cynical Lie
The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday dismissed reports of a chemical attack in Syria’s Idlib as a lie.
“The desire of the US State Department to impose another lie on the world about some ‘signs of a chemical attack’ in the Idlib de-escalation zone is no longer perplexing,” ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters.
“A particular cynicism is given to the US State Department’s statement about the alleged May 19 ‘chemical attack’ in Syria by the subsequent public denials of this lie even by the UK[-based Syrian] Observatory for Human Rights and the so-called fraudsters of the White Helmets,” Konashenkov said.
On Tuesday, US Department of State spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said that the US was collecting information regarding an alleged chemical weapon attack that reportedly took place in Syria over the weekend and warned the Syrian government that it would quickly respond if Damascus’ use of chemical weapons was confirmed.
The statement was made several days after the Russian Defense Ministry’s Syrian reconciliation center had warned that terrorists were preparing a provocation with the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian province of Idlib. Damascus denied reports about the chemical attack.
Konashenkov called Jabhat al-Nusra (banned in Russia) terrorists the only “sources” and “eyewitnesses” of the alleged chemical attack.
“We also want to remind the State Department that on May 18, the Syrian government troops were the first to unilaterally completely cease fire. They did not succumb to numerous provocations for several days. Therefore, there were no ‘attacks’ on May 19 in the Idlib de-escalation zone in principle,” he said.
Konashenkov said Washington’s attempts to invent another story about alleged chemical attacks in Idlib were a political cover for terrorists’ attempts to destabilize the situation there.
Source: Russian Defense Ministry Dismisses Reports Of Idlib Chemical Attack As Cynical Lie – UrduPoint