Chemical weapons used in Syria: France

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says it is confirmed that the nerve agent of sarin has been used multiple times during the crisis in Syria.

Fabius said in a brief statement on Tuesday that samples taken from Syria and tested in France “prove the presence of sarin in the samples in our possession.”

The French minister, however, did not specify the location and the time the agent had been used.

The claim comes upon a new report by the United Nations that says there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that chemical weapons have been used in Syria.

Fabius added that the test results have been handed to the UN.

The White House said on Tuesday that it was continuing efforts to collect evidence about the probable use of chemical weapons in Syria.

France and the UK say the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against militants, a claim Damascus has rejected as “lies.”

Damascus says terrorists have used chemical weapons on several occasions, including an attack in the region of Khan al-Assal in the province of Aleppo in which over two dozen people died.