"I condemn the horrendous attacks in the province of Idlib in Syria, which killed dozens of people, including many children, reportedly by the use of chemical weapons. This is the third report of the use of these barbaric weapons in the last month alone. All those responsible must be held to account," Stoltenberg said in a statement.
The Syrian National Coalition of Revolution and Opposition Forces claimed that nearly 80 people were killed on Tuesday and some 200 injured in a chemical weapon attack in the Idlib province, blaming the Syrian army for the incident. A source in the Syrian army later told Sputnik that the army did not have chemical weapons and the allegations could be part of anti-Damascus propaganda.
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the issue is set to be held on Wednesday at 14:00 GMT.
In 2013, the Syrian authorities agreed to transfer its stockpiled chemical weapons to international control for their subsequent destruction, so as to prevent them from falling into the hands of militants operating in the country.
