Russian Defense Ministry Reveals al-Nusra, White Helmets May Make New Chemical Arms Strike in Idlib

Nov. 26, 2019 (EIRNS)—The Russian Defense Ministry reported it has information indicating that militants of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), otherwise known as Jabhat al-Nusra, together with White Helmets, have been plotting to stage another chemical weapons provocation, this time in the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria.

“Via several channels, we received confirmation of reports that militants from the group of field commander Abu Malek, which is a part of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, jointly with the White Helmets organization, plan to carry out provocations involving staged air raids and use of chemical weapons in populated areas of the Idlib de-escalation zone,”

the ministry said in a statement, quoted by TASS. “Militants have been selecting local residents who would participate in the filming of scenes depicting the consequences of air strikes and use of poisonous agents.”

The ministry statement indicated it had information obtained from the town of Sarmada, 30 km northeast of Idlib, which said that a group of unidentified people and three trucks transporting various containers with unknown chemicals arrived there in early November. “One of the vehicles carried professional video equipment and fragments of air and artillery shells with Soviet and Russian identification marks,” TASS quoted the Defense press service. The terror group is expected to make the false films and release them through social media networks.