A Syria Civil Defense spokesman said 33 civilians were injured in the attack, the BBC reported, but it is unclear who was responsible. Rebels and activists have reported chlorine gas attacks in the town before, but the lack of chemical labs or independent testers makes it hard to verify these claims.
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The statement by the group, also known as the White Helmets, said the gas cylinders were dropped on the city of Saraqeb in Idlib province and “smelled like chlorine”.
In 2013, the United Nations and the Syrian government agreed to destroy the state’s declared stockpile of chemical weapons, a process completed in January 2016, according to Reuters.
Russian Federation continues to tip the scales in its ally Bashar Assad’s favor as Vladimir Putin’s air force has led the way in repelling a rebel offensive in Aleppo, Syria.
Monitors at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said barrel bombs fell on Saraqeb late on Monday, injuring a large number of citizens.
Russian state news agency Interfax said the aircraft was carrying three crew members and two officers and had just delivered aid to the war-torn city of Aleppo.
A Russian military helicopter was shot down Monday in Syria by opposition forces.
The attack by Russian warplanes comes after a Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down over the Syrian province of Idlib on Monday, resulting in the death of five soldiers.
The attacks appear unrelated, and the reports suggest they were launched by opposite sides, with one an attack launched by rebels against government-held parts of Aleppo, and another apparently by a Russian military helicopter.
The Syrian regime’s key ally Russian Federation launched heavy air strikes overnight on the outskirts of divided Aleppo city, slowing a “last-chance” assault by rebels seeking to break a government siege. It was not clear if the helicopter belonged to the Syrian regime or to Russian Federation.
Fighting has intensified around Aleppo and its neighboring provinces since the government sealed off the final route into rebel-controlled neighborhoods of the city.
SANA reported on Tuesday that four women and three children were among the nine killed when rebels shelled and fired at three front-line neighborhoods.
This is now Russia’s third helicopter lost in the Syrian operation.
“According to our information, the helicopter was shot down from the ground over the area under the control of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorist group and associated so-called moderate opposition units”, said Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Main Operational Directorate. Chemical agents have been used several times since then, and both the regime and rebels accuse each other of using such weapons but deny doing so themselves.
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The UN estimates that 200,000 to 300,000 people may still be trapped in the rebel section of Aleppo with dwindling food and medical supplies.
