Militants
in Syria’s Idlib have transported several canisters containing
chlorine to the village of Bsanqul, apparently preparing to stage a
false flag chemical attack, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.
The
chlorine-filled canisters were delivered by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated
militants of Tahrir al Sham, formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, a
spokesman of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria,
Lieutenant General Vladimir Savchenko, said in a statement Saturday.
He added that the latest developments showed that the militants are
preparing for a false flag attack that would be used to accuse the
Syrian government of using chemical weapons against its people.
This is
the latest warning from the Russian military on what it says is a
chemical “provocation” in the making. On Wednesday, it said the
White Helmets group has shot videos intended to be used in framing
the Syrian government. Earlier, the MoD said toxic chemicals had been
delivered Idlib and accused the White Helmets of carrying out the
delivery.
The US
and its allies have so far dismissed the Russian warnings, but said
that the government in Damascus might instead be preparing chemical
attacks against civilians. Moscow has suggested that the attack might
be prepared with the support of Washington, which wants to justify
further air strikes against Syria. Those planned strikes are said to
be much larger in scale than those launched against the Syrian
military by the US, the UK and France in April.
It comes
as Washington has been building up its military presence in the
region. In late August, the missile destroyer USS Ross was deployed
to the Mediterranean, carrying 28 Tomahawk cruise missiles, while the
USS The Sullivans was deployed to the Persian Gulf and a B-1B Lancer
strategic bomber was moved to an air base in Qatar.
Most
recently, the USS Bulkeley (DDG-84), an Arleigh Burke-class
destroyer, entered the Mediterranean through the Straits of
Gibraltar. Last week, the attack submarine USS Newport News (SSN-750)
arrived in the Mediterranean as well.
With the
arrival of the Bulkeley, the US forces in the region reportedly have
up to 200 Tomahawk cruise missiles available to strike targets in
Syria if ordered to do so, Russian media reports.
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