Chemical Weapons Provocation in Syria to Start September 8 - Russian MoD

Terrorists in the rebel-held Syrian city of Idlib have almost completed their preparations for a provocation involving chemical weapons, chief spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense Major General Igor Konashenkov stated Saturday.

According to the general, leaders of the terrorist group Tahrir al-Sham*, the Turkistan Islamic Movement and representatives of the White Helmets met in Idlib on September 7 in order to coordinate their participation in the upcoming false flag operation.

"The scenarios for the filming of staged ‘incidents’ with the alleged use of poisonous substances by Syrian government troops against civilians in the settlements of Jisr Al-Shugur, Serakab, Taftanaz, and Sarmin were finally agreed upon during the meeting. The full readiness of all participants involved in carrying out staged provocations should be ensured by the evening of September 8. The signal for the beginning of the practical phase of the terrorists' provocation in the province of Idlib will be a special team from some ‘foreign friends of the Syrian revolution',” Konashenkov said.

Previously, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Tahrir al-Sham terrorists were preparing a provocation in Syria's western Idlib province in order to accuse Damascus of using chemical weapons against civilians, while the UK, the US, and France said in August that they "will respond appropriately to any further use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime."

READ MORE: US Representative for Syria Says Possible Idlib Offensive Would Be 'Reckless'

Idlib province is a remaining stronghold of insurgency in the country, being also one of Syria's de-escalation zones. Syrian President Bashar Assad has previously underlined that liberation of the province was among the priorities for the Syrian military's operations.

*Turkistan Islamic Movement and Tahrir al-Sham (also known as Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Nusra Front) are terrorist groups, banned in Russia.