The Pentagon has warned Russia against interfering with the site of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria's regime-held city of Aleppo.
Bashar al-Assad's regime has accused armed groups of carrying out a "toxic gas" attack Saturday that left dozens of people struggling to breathe and prompted government ally Russia to launch retaliatory air strikes against "terrorist groups."
Damascus has formally asked for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate the alleged attack.
The Pentagon said Assad may try to interfere with the site of the incident and build a narrative to justify attacking the rebel-held stronghold of Idlib, which is currently protected under a 10-week-old truce deal in northern Syria.
"It is essential to ensure that the Syrian regime does not seize on false pretexts to undermine this ceasefire and launch an offensive in Idlib," Pentagon spokesman Commander Sean Robertson said in a statement.
"We caution Russia against tampering with another suspected chemical weapons attack site and urge Russia to secure the safety of the OPCW inspectors so these allegations can be investigated in a fair and transparent manner," AFP quoted him as saying.
"We urge immediate inspection of the alleged site by international investigators, with freedom to interview all involved and unhindered ability to collect evidence," he added.
In April, the United States accused Russia of blocking international inspectors from reaching the site of a suspected poison gas attack in Syria's Douma and said Russians or Syrians may have tampered with evidence on the ground.
The OPCW will be able not only to determine whether a chemical weapons attack occurred but also to assign blame. That responsibility had fallen to a joint U.N.-OPCW mission until Russia blocked a United Nations Security Council resolution to extend its mandate a year ago.
A health official in Aleppo said victims had suffered breathing difficulties, eye inflammation and other symptoms that suggested the use of chlorine gas. Chlorine is a widely available industrial chemical, but its use as a weapon is banned internationally.
“We continue to engage the Russian government and military at senior levels to make clear that an offensive in Idlib would represent a reckless escalation of the conflict," Robertson said.
