Syria rejects US chemical attack claims

The Syrian government on Thursday condemned the US allegations that Damascus is preparing for a chemical attack and accused Washington of planning to launch a new assault on Syrian territory.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that US allegations are "misleading", "false" and "baseless", Efe news agency reported.

"Syria confirms that the US allegations aim to justify a new aggression on Syria under false pretexts as happened in al-Shairat Airport and to cover the US-led international illegal coalition's strikes," the ministry said.

On Monday, the White House warned of "potential preparations" by the Syrian government to carry out a new chemical weapons attack, noting that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the armed forces will pay "a heavy price" if an attack is launched.

The ministry added that any US aggression on the Syrian Army and people will serve "terrorist" organisations and contradict the "principles and purposes of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions on combating terrorism".

On April 7, the US targeted al-Shairat airport with missiles in response to the chemical attack carried out three days earlier in the Syrian city of Khan Sheikhun, which Washington attributed to Damascus, while the latter accused extremist groups.

--IANS

soni/bg