Syrian gov’t claims militants preparing chemical weapons provocation in East Ghouta

YemenExtra

M.A.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has said that militants in Eastern Ghouta may stage a chemical attack, targeting several women, to blame Damascus for it.

“We received information that militants in Eastern Ghouta are going to stage a chemical attack [in] Hawsh al-Ash’ari, between the settlements of Mesraba and Beit Sawa.

The official pointed out that the Syrian government was ready to assist in any investigation of chemical attacks in Syria but the international organizations refused to cooperate with Damascus and even visit the country to verify the data.

The report comes hours after first militants with members of their families were evacuated from the rebel-held district. At the same time, the SANA news agency reported that civilians were killed when they were trying to reach the corridor which leads through Jisr al-Ghaida to al-Mlaiha town.

Syrian authorities have been repeatedly accused of using chemical weapons against civilians in the conflict that began in 2011.

On January 26, the White Helmets, a Syrian opposition civil defense group operating in militant-held areas, reported that three civilians had been killed and dozens more were wounded in a suspected chlorine gas attack on Eastern Ghouta.

The same day, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert accused Syrian authorities of staging this attack, which was vehemently rejected by Damascus.

Last week, the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation reported that Syrian terrorists were preparing provocations involving chemical warfare agents in Eastern Ghouta, which would be used by western states as a pretext for accusing Damascus of the use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilian population.