Assad sets himself up by using chemical weapons? Not

The situation with the alleged chemical attack in Syria's Idlib is gradually clearing up. The UN demanded those responsible for the use of chemical weapons should be found. 

"Every time we have a moment in which the international community is capable of being together, there is someone, somehow that tries to undermine that feeling of hope by producing a feeling of horror and outrage," UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said. "But we are not going to give up. On the contrary, we make use of all these horror moments to show they cannot prevail," he added. 

However, many experts say that Assad's troops could not conduct such an attack. It was either terrorists or the Syrian opposition who could use chemical weapons. 

"Now the media are trumpeting that it was Assad's troops that used chemical weapons in Idlib. This is absolute nonsense, because it is Russian headquarters that supervise all combat actions in the region. Assad will not be able to use any aircraft unless the Russian command in Hmeymim gives permission for this. Some say that it was the Russians, who used chemical weapons, but those who say this need to have their heads examined immediately. Concerning the turnover of WMDs, there are authoritative international agreements that only WWIII can break," a Russian expert wrote. 

In the meantime, Igor Dimitriev, who currently stays in Syria, gave a similar assessment to the situation. 

"Yesterday I was on the outskirts of Hama. Government troops repulsed Islamists' attack and went on an offensive to Idlib. Khan Sheikhun has blocked the road from Damascus to Aleppo, the main highway in the country, a road of strategic importance. There are no tactical or informational reasons for Syrian government troops to use gas. The offensive continues. It is hard to imagine why Assad would want to set himself up like that," Dimitriev wrote. 

"Even if there was mass gas poisoning in Idlib, the Syrians, who say that they have bombed a chemical lab are right. Moreover, all confirmed facts of the use of chemical warfare agents are associated with the actions of the opposition only. The Syrian government delivered all  of its chemical weapons to the international commission two years ago. There were many incidents, when traces of chemical substances would be found on territories liberated from terrorists," he added. 

This version, in all likelihood, looks truthful. The information about the attack on terrorists'  positions was officially confirmed. It was reported that government forces carried out an air strike on the outskirts of the settlement of Khan-Sheikhun in the province of Idlib, where terrorists' ammo depot and military equipment was located. On the territory of the warehouse, there were shops for the production of landmines filled with poisonous substances. Chemical weapons would then be delivered to Iraq. One may assume that explosions in the warehouse led to the leak of toxic substances and numerous victims.

However, the National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces of Syria (NCRC) announced that it was Syrian government troops that conducted the attack with the use of chemical weapons, in which 80 people were killed and 200 were wounded. The UN supported their point of view. Yet, as it turns out now, it is not the Assad troops that are guilty of using prohibited weapons.