Over 650 people were killed when the Syrian Army bombarded Damascus suburbs with chemical weapons on Wednesday, rebel groups claimed, branding it a “massacre” and seeking global intervention.
The claim, that could not be independently verified, was vehemently denied by the Syrian regime, saying it was aimed at hindering the mission of UN chemical weapons inspectors now in the country.
“Over 650 confirmed dead result of deadly chemical weapon attack in Syria”, the Syrian National Coalition said on Twitter, as videos showed medics attending to suffocating children. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 100 people were killed in air raids and shelling.
Sana, the state news agency, said “reports on the use of chemical weapons in Ghouta are totally false”.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting at 3 pm (12.30 am IST Thursday) to discuss the alleged poison gas attack. If confirmed, it will be the world’s worst chemical weapons attack in decades, diplomats said.