The Foreign Ministry stressed that attacks on residential neighborhoods in Aleppo City by terrorist organizations were a result of some states facilitating access to chemical substances by terrorists, and called for deterrents and punitive measures against states and regimes that support and fund terrorism.
In letters sent to the UN Secretary-General, the Security Council’s President and the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Ministry said,“On Nov. 24th 2018, armed terrorist groups attacked safe residential neighborhoods in Aleppo city with toxic gases. They targeted the neighborhoods of al-Khalidyia, al-Hamadanyia, al-Shahba, al-Neel Street and Jam’ayat al-Zahra, with tens of mortar shells filled with chlorine, which led to 107 civilians suffering from suffocation and very dangerous cases of poisoning. Most of the victims were women, children and elderly people. Additionally, public and private properties in the targeted areas were damaged.”
“This terrorist act comes as a result of facilitating the access to chemical substances for terrorists by some states, with the aim of using them against the Syrian people and accusing the Syrian Government. These scenarios have been prepared in the backrooms of the intelligence services of some states that sponsor terrorism and these performances are carried out by the terrorist White Helmets, who are also involved. The shells were fired from areas where the White Helmets are active and in particular from the southeastern area of al-Braikyiat village in the Aleppo countryside,” the Ministry added.
On Saturday evening, residential neighborhoods in Aleppo City were targeted with explosive rocket shells that contained toxic gases.
Director of the Health Directorate in Aleppo, Ziad Haj Taha, said that 50 civilians including children and women suffered from asphyxiation due to the terrorist attack.
He indicated that the number of civilian casualties in the attack is not final and it is expected to rise, adding that the gas used by the terrorists is likely to be the chlorine gas due to the symptoms shown by the hospitalized civilians.
Later, medical sources at al-Razi Hospital and the University Hospital said that 107 civilians suffering from asphyxiation cases of various degrees ranging from light to medium were admitted. Some of them were admitted to the intensive care units.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
