Britain will go to the United Nations over claims of a nerve gas attack near Damascus that rebels say has killed over 1,000 people, with William Hague saying the reports would mark a “shocking escalation” if proved true.
The Syrian National Coalition, the main Western-backed opposition group in the country, said at a press conference that 1,300 people had been killed as shells loaded with poisonous gas rained down on the capital’s eastern suburbs of Douma, Jobar, Zamalka, Arbeen and Ein Tarma.
The death toll given by George Sabra, the group’s deputy head, represented a vast increase from the figure of 213 suggested earlier by activists and medical sources.
The government of Bashar Assad issued a strong denial, accusing activists of seeking to distract a United Nations team currently visiting the country to probe alleged use of chemical weapons.
The Telegraph has the full article
