Filming of staged chemical attack in Idlib, Syria begins – Russian MoD

11 Sep, 2018 11:25 / Updated 5 years ago

Footage meant to serve as proof that the Syrian government has conducted a chemical weapon attack in Idlib, Syria will be provided to global news outlets by the end of Tuesday, the Russian military claims.

Several Middle East TV channels and a US news channel have been sent to Jisr al-Shughur in Syria’s Idlib Governorate to produce the footage needed for the provocation, a statement by the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation said. It added that the intelligence came from local residents of Jisr al-Shughur.

“All the footage of the staged provocation in Jisr al-Shughur is to be delivered to the newsrooms of TV channels, which are to broadcast it after its publication on social media,” the statement claims.

It also said that an Islamist group was provided with two canisters of a “chlorine-based chemical” for the purpose of the operation.

The Russian military said the footage would include scenes of White Helmets operatives treating supposed victims of an apparent barrel bomb chemical weapon attack by Damascus.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that a false flag chemical weapon attack was being prepared in Idlib, giving the US and its allies justification to attack Syrian government forces. Senior US officials have threatened Damascus with retaliation if it uses chemical weapons in Idlib and even preemptively assigned the blame for any such attack to the government.

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzya stressed that Damascus does not possess any chemical weapons to begin with. Any incident with such weaponry would only benefit militants fighting the Syrian government.

“The false-flag attack by the adversaries of Damascus, who count on foreign armed support, is very possible. We have irrefutable evidence of preparations [for it],” Nebenzya stated.

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