US claims on chemical attack false: Syria

The Syrian government has dismissed US allegations that Damascus was behind a recent chemical weapons attack in the Arab country.

According to the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), a source at the Syrian Foreign Ministry called earlier remarks made by US Secretary of State John Kerry “based on old stories,” and “full of fabrication and lies.”

The report also said the Foreign Ministry was surprised at Washington’s efforts to “deceive its public opinion in such a naive manner.”

It added that Kerry’s claims are “a desperate attempt to talk the world into accepting the upcoming US aggression.”

Earlier in the day, Kerry repeated Washington’s claims that the Syrian government is responsible for the chemical attack near the capital Damascus.

“The American intelligence community has high confidence,” he said, adding, “This is common sense. This is evidence. These are facts.”

The call for military action against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of launching the attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced due to the violence.