Syria's Assad denies alleged use of chlorine gas in Idlib

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has flatly denied reports that his government was behind an alleged chlorine gas attack in the northwestern Idlib province last month.

“We didn’t use it (chlorine gas). We don’t need to use it. We have our regular armaments, and we could achieve our goals without it,” said Assad in a wide-ranging interview with France 2 television network on Monday.

While insisting that Damascus has never used chlorine gas in its battle against foreign-sponsored terrorists, he further pointed out that a Syrian chemical factory in north of the country near the Turkish border remains under the control of foreign-backed Takfiri terrorists and even international inspectors have not been allowed to visit the plant.

The Syrian president also refuted some media reports about the use of the so-called barrel bombs, asking the interviewer, “What are barrel bombs?” He then reiterated that Syrian forces possess no such weapons and have never used banned armaments.

During the interview, President Assad further insisted that Washington was responsible for the creation of the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group, adding that the notorious terror enterprise was established in Iraq back in 2006 when the country was in control of the US-led military forces.  

"The ISIL was created in Iraq in 2006 under the supervision of the Americans. I wasn’t in Iraq. I wasn’t controlling Iraq. The Americans controlled Iraq, and ISIL came from Iraq to Syria," he said.

He further blasted France and other western nations for extending support to Takfiri terrorists across Syria.

“France and other countries don’t have the right to support anyone within our country. This is a breach of the international law, this is a breach of our sovereignty, this is a breach of the values… One of these values is democracy. Is it democracy to send armaments to terrorists?” Assad argued.

“So [do] I have the right to support the terrorists who attacked Charlie Hebdo for example?" he then asked.

The Syrian president also acknowledged inviting the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah to his country to help in the battle against the foreign-sponsored militants, but denied accusations from the foreign-backed opposition and Saudi Arabia that Iran has troops on the ground in Syria.

"We invited Hezbollah, but not the Iranians. There are no Iranian troops in Syria and they have not sent any force," said Assad.

“We have [had] regular relations with Iran for more than three decades. We have commanders, officers coming and going between the two countries based on the cooperation that [has] existed between us for a long time,” he added.  

MFB/NN/AS

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