Syria Gas Attack Carried by Third Party as Casus Belli: Iranian Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – While the Syrian government destroyed its stockpile of chemical weapons under UN supervision a couple of years ago, a third party seems to have carried out the recent chemical attack in Idlib to clear the way for military attack on Syria, a top Iranian official said.
Syria renounced chemical weapons under a Russian-proposed initiative and cooperated with the United Nations to destroy its stockpile, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said in a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart on Saturday.
Given those constructive developments, it is obvious that the recent gas attack in Idlib has been carried out by a “third party” to provide a pretext for military action against Syria, Shamkhani deplored.
He also emphasized the need for formation of an “independent international” fact-finding committee to shed light on the “suspicious chemical attack” that the US is blaming on the Damascus government.
Describing the US move to launch missile attacks on a Syrian airbase near the city of Homs as an illegal act of aggression, Shamkhani underscored that such measures would not undermine the cooperation among Iran, Russia and Syria in the fight against terrorism.
For his part, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev condemned the US missile attack on the Syrian military bases, saying it was in conflict with the policies announced by Washington and emboldens terrorist groups.
On Friday, the US launched a missile attack on the Syrian government’s Shayrat Airfield near Homs with 59 Tomahawk missiles. Officially announcing the strike, US President Donald Trump claimed that the targeted airfield had launched the chemical attack on the rebel-held area in Idlib.
