In a Syrian Army command communique obtained by Sputnik, the military said US-led coalition planes struck a warehouse where Daesh fighters were present.
"A white cloud formed at the place of impact, then a yellow one, which indicates the presence of a large number of toxic agents," the communique read.
The Syrian military underscored that it does not have chemical weapons and the incident proves that terrorists have arsenals of toxic materials that could be used a weapon of mass destruction.
In turn, US-led coalition spokesperson Col. John Dorrian dismissed the claims.
Political analyst and head of the Middle East-Caucasus think-tank Stanislav Tarasov underscored that Damascus’ chemical arsenal was destroyed several years ago.
"This sheds light on the situation with chemical weapons in Syria. In 2013, Russia and the US made a joint effort to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons. That was an example of successful cooperation between the two powers. While Damascus’ arsenal was destroyed the following developments in Iraq and Syria showed that terrorists started producing toxic chemical materials. After the liberation of Aleppo and other areas, samples of chemical materials used by terrorists have repeatedly been found," Tarasov said in an interview with Radio Sputnik.
According to the expert, now there can be no doubt that terrorists in Syria have chemical weapons.
"The US said that its missile strike on a Syrian airbase was in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons by Damascus. But now the fact that Islamists have chemical weapons is apparent. This situation should be investigated jointly by the US, Russia and European countries. Such incidents must be prevented in the future," Tarasov concluded.
Later, the Syrian Armed Forces command rejected the allegations, saying the responsibility for the attack lies with militants and their sponsors.
On April 7, the US launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha’irat, located about 40 kilometers from the city of Homs.
US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in Idlib, which Washington and its allies have blamed on the Syrian government.
Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!
