A helicopter dropped toxic chlorine gas on a Syrian town near the site of the downing of a Russian helicopter, doctors and witnesses said.
Advertisement
The opposition Syrian National Coalition blamed the attack on the Assad regime.
But government fighters backed by Russia’s air force have put up a fierce defence of the southwestern outskirts. It said that “activists accused regime forces of using explosive barrels which contained gasses”.
At least nine civilians, including three children, were killed by rebel fire in the government-controlled section of the divided northern city of Aleppo and airstrikes killed at least 11 in a town to the west, activists and government media reported Tuesday.
Rebels mainly from Jaish al Fatah alliance of Islamist groups pushed from the south of the city while fighters from Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigades pounded government-held areas of Syria’s most populous city and commercial hub before the war broke out in 2011.
Russian Federation escalated its military involvement in Syria in September 2015 to help keep Assad in power, relying mainly on airpower to target rebel forces.
At least 50 rebels and their allies, as well as dozens of government troops, have been killed since the fight back began on Sunday, according to the observatory.
Chemical weapons are believed to have taken place in several areas in Syria in the past years, with the government and the rebels trading accusations.
Russian forces have been accused by global human rights organizations of targeting civilians and using cluster munitions in their attacks.
The city was once Syria’s economic powerhouse but has been ravaged by fighting, particularly in recent months as rebels and the regime each try to assert control.
“This battle is the last chance for rebels”.
Middle East analyst Firas Maksad said that while “Aleppo is key” for government efforts to keep supply lines open, for the opposition, however, “this is really their last stand”.
Mr Peskov also said Moscow would continue fighting worldwide terrorism “on all fronts” despite threats from Isis.
“While Iran and Russian Federation are co-ordinating closely on the ground to advance the war, they are less bound together in terms of their goals, and there is little trust between the two over their respective long-term aims in Syria”, the report titled Understanding Iran’s role in the Syrian Conflict, said.
Mr Peskov said that the three crew members and two officers had “died heroically because they tried to move the aircraft away so as to minimise losses on the ground”.
The incident was the deadliest single attack on Russian forces in Syria since Moscow began its intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad’s government last September.
Advertisement
Another 133 chemical attacks were reported in addition to the 161 documented in the reported, but SAMS said the claims “could not be fully substantiated”.
