The deadly civil war in Syria has taken a turn for the worse with a chemical weapons attack on a southern suburb of Aleppo. The regime have blamed rebels for the attack which has left 25 dead, and many suffering from breathing problems. Russia has also said that it has seen evidence that rebels were responsible for the attack.
However, rebel forces have said they lack the capabilities to deploy chemical weapons, blaming the regime. Western nations have been skeptical of reports that rebels carried out the attack.
With White House spokesman Jay Carney saying, “We are deeply skeptical of a regime that has lost all credibility and we would also warn the regime against making these kinds of charges as any kind of pretext or cover for its use of chemical weapons.”
President Obama has previously warned the Syrian regime against deploying chemical weapons, saying it was a “red line” that could lead to US intervention.
A Reuters photographer in the area has spoken of smelling chlorine in the air after the attack, saying “I saw mostly women and children. They said that people were suffocating in the streets and the air smelt strongly of chlorine.”