The Syrian state media reported Saturday that 21 people in the Hama Province were hospitalized with symptoms of poison gas exposure after their village of al-Rasif was shelled by rebels.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the details of the
story, but said they were uncertain if the chemicals were launched by
shells, or simply the result of leaks caused by the shelling.
This of course is a benefit of the doubt not afforded to Syrian
government strikes, where even rumors of anyone getting sick leads to
international outcry, and rejection of any proper investigations as
unnecessary. Al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front is known to have limited chemical
weapons, and shells to deliver them.
The area where the shelling took place, in Hama Province, is along the
front-line in Syrian government territory next to rebel-held Idlib. A
Russia-Turkey deal has tried to keep the two sides separated, but with
al-Qaeda having routed the other rebels, and never respecting the deal
in the first place, it seems that could fall apart at any time, and
start the fight for the last rebel-held territory in war-torn Syria.
Syria Reports 21 Injured After Rebel Gas Attack on Village
Rebel attack targeted village of al-Rasif
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.
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