Syrian Government Has Shown No Signs of Further Chemical Weapons Use – Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Syrian government has shown no signs that it carried out more chemical attacks since an alleged incident in April, Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a press briefing on Thursday.

"We haven’t seen any indications that there have been any more," White told reporters when asked whether the Syrian government had conducted any chemical weapons attacks since the United States and its allies carried out airstrikes on Syrian facilities in April.

She added that the Pentagon continues to monitor the Syrian government for any signs of chemical weapons activity.

READ MORE: Syrian State-Run Media Accuses US Intel of Staging Fake Chemical Attacks

Reports that a chemical weapons attack occurred in the Syrian city of Douma near Damascus on April 7 prompted the United Kingdom, France, and the United States to fire over 100 missiles on what they said were the Syrian government’s chemical weapons sites.

White said April's strikes hit the core of Syria's chemical weapons manufacturing capabilities and damaged their ability to deliver those weapons. Ultimately, the Assad's administration received the message clearly about what the United States and its allies thought about the use of chemical weapons, she added.

Western states have accused Damascus of using chemical weapons against civilians, but the Syrian government has firmly denied the allegations. Both Russian and Syrian officials have said that the alleged chemical attack on April 7 was likely staged by terrorist groups in order to provoke Western military action.