Report: Syrian Gov’t Attacked Civilians with Chlorine Gas

Amid a fragile ceasefire in Syria, the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) believe that Syrian government forces carried out chlorine gas attacks on its own civilians, according to a diplomat who says two helicopter units were among those responsible. In a statement, a Syrian military source denied the allegations. “The Syrian state... and we, the Syrian Arab army, have said more than once that the army has not and will not use any banned weapon, especially chemical or poison weapons,” the source said, adding that the report is “completely void of truth” and calling the U.N. “a tool in the hands of some countries which support terrorists.” According to the report, there is no evidence that opposition groups in Syria used chlorine gas.