Russian authorities: Staged chemical weapons attack under preparation in Syria to frame Assad
CGTN
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A staged chemical weapons attack is being prepared in Syria to frame the government of President Bashar al-Assad, Russian media reported, citing the country's defense ministry.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov, was reported as saying that the attack is being prepped by the Al-Nusra front (now known as Tahrir al-Sham) in Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, and would be used as a pretext for the US and its allies to launch strikes on Syria.

Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that the jihadist group Tahrir al-Sham is "preparing another provocation of the 'use of chemical weapons' by Syrian government forces against the peaceful population of the Idlib province." 

He said the group delivered "eight chlorine tanks" to Jisr al-Shughur town in order to stage the attack and that these were later taken to a village eight kilometers (5 miles) away. 

The statement also said a group of militants "trained in handling poisonous substances under the supervision of specialists from the private British military company Olive" arrived in the town a day earlier.

The militants have the task of simulating the rescue of the victims of the chemical weapons attack dressed in the clothes of the White Helmets, it said.

White Helmets is a non-profit organization that reported the Syrian government's alleged use of chemical weapons in Douma in April this year. 

Konashenkov accused British special services of being "actively involved" in the "provocation" which will "serve as another reason for the US, the UK and France to hit Syrian government targets with air strikes."

The Russian accusation comes after US President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton this week said Washington will respond "very strongly" if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad uses chemical weapons in an offensive to retake Idlib.

In April, responded to an alleged gas attack that the West accused the Syrian government of carrying out in Douma with coordinated airstrikes on Syria by the US, UK and France on April 7. 

The bombing started shortly before a team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was due to investigate the city.