DAMASCUS: Syria’s government said Saturday that rebel fighters used chemical weapons in a northeastern district of the capital, countering charges by insurgents that the regime was behind the alleged attacks.
“An army unit is surrounding a sector of Jobar where terrorists used chemical weapons,” said the state broadcaster, adding that soldiers who tried to enter the neighborhood had “suffocated.”
Rebel-held Jobar on the outskirts of Damascus has been under army bombardment and air strikes for several months.
State television said several soldiers had suffered poison gas inhalation and some were in critical condition.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the government carried out four air raids on Saturday on areas near Jabar, where soldiers and rebels fighters were locked in fierce clashes.
Syria regime says rebels used chemical weapons
Syria regime says rebels used chemical weapons
