'US strike' hit IS poison gas depot, scores killed
The Syrian army said an air strike late on Wednesday by the US-led coalition hit poison gas supplies belonging to Islamic State, releasing a toxic substance that killed "hundreds", but the coalition denied carrying out raids in the area.
A statement by the army, flashed by Syrian state TV yesterday, said the incident in the eastern Deir al-Zor province proved that Islamic State and al-Qaeda-linked militants "possess chemical weapons".
The report could not immediately be independently verified.
US Air Force Colonel John Dorrian, a spokesman for the coalition, said it had carried out no air strikes in that area at that time.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with AFP, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said a suspected chemical weapons attack, that killed 87 people including many children, was a "fabrication" to justify a US strike on his forces.
The embattled leader said his firepower had not been affected by the attack ordered by US President Donald Trump, but acknowledged further strikes were possible.
US launched 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian air base last week. Syria and its ally Russia deny Damascus carried out any such chemical attack. Moscow has said the poison gas in that incident belonged to rebels.
"Definitely, 100 percent for us, it's fabrication," he said of the incident.
Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Tuesday there was "no doubt" the Syrian regime was behind the chemical attack.
Images of the aftermath, showing victims convulsing and foaming at the mouth, sent shockwaves around the world.
The US strike on the Syrian air base was the first time Washington has deliberately and directly targeted the Syrian government.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said Wednesday said the United States wants to improve ties with Russia from their current "all-time low" over Syria, as Moscow dug in to defend its ally in Damascus.
But that prospect appeared remote, with Trump's secretary of state Rex Tillerson getting a frosty reception in Moscow, and Russia using its UN Security Council veto to swat down a US-backed resolution demanding Syrian cooperation in probing last week's suspected chemical attack.
It was the eighth time that Russia has used its veto power to block action directed at Damascus. China opted to abstain, a move Trump praised.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the veto "puts Russia on the wrong side of the argument," while French President Francois Hollande warned Russia it "bears a heavy responsibility" for continuing to protect Assad.
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