MOSCOW — Russia’s foreign minister said on Friday that a suspected chemical attack in the Syrian town of Douma last weekend was staged with the help of a foreign intelligence agency, without specifying or providing evidence, and sternly warned the West against proposed military action.
A day before a team from the international chemical weapons watchdog was to arrive in Douma, just east of Damascus, Sergey Lavrov said Russian experts have already inspected the site of the alleged attack and found no trace of chemical weapons, adding without elaboration that Moscow has “irrefutable information that it was another fabrication.” The suspected poison attack by the Syrian government forces that allegedly killed over 40 people, according to volunteer first responders and activists, has drawn international outrage and prompted the U.S. and its allies to consider a military response. Moscow strongly warned against any strikes and threatened to retaliate. As fears of a Russia-West military confrontation mount, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “deep concerns” over the situation in Syria in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to a statement by the French presidency, Macron called for dialogue between France and Russia to “continue and intensify” to bring peace and stability to Syria. (AP)