White House ‘Troubled’ by Alleged Syrian Chemical Weapons Strike

Russia Says Attack Was Actually a Homemade Rocket Fired by Rebels

The White House has issued a statement saying it is “deeply troubled” by the latest rebel allegations of a government chemical weapon attack in Syria, demanding an immediate UN investigation into the claim.

That should be easy, as the UN inspectors are already in Syria. Why Syria would’ve waited for the inspectors to get there before launching a huge attack is simply baffling, as are the wide variety of death tolls, ranging from “dozens” to over 1,600.

Russian Foreign Ministry officials say that their information suggests the strike was actually a homemade rocket with an unknown chemical substance similar to the one rebels used in March against troops in Khan al-Assal.

The UN Security Council says there is a “general sense” that there needs to be clarity about what actually happened, but had to end up vaguely worded as Britain and France wanted a harsh condemnation, and Russia and China rejected that, citing a lack of evidence.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.