Syria's government and rebels accused each other of launching a deadly chemical attack near the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday in what would, if confirmed, be the first use of such weapons in the two-year-old conflict.

Syria's state news agency SANA said the rebels had launched a missile, while the rebels said the government had fired a long-range missile with "chemical agents."

"Terrorists fired a rocket containing chemical substances in the Khan al-Assal area of rural Aleppo," SANA said.

A Reuters photographer visited two hospitals and saw people with breathing problems, who told him that they saw people dying in the streets and that the air smelled strongly of chlorine.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a human rights monitoring group with a network of sources on the ground, said 26 people were killed in a "rocket attack" but it could neither confirm nor deny reports of chemical weapons.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who has resisted overt military intervention in Syria's civil war, has previously warned Syria's President Bashar Assad that any use of chemical weapons would be a "red line".

Syria's Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi put the death toll at 16 and said 86 people were wounded, most of them critically.

In a televised news conference, he said the country's armed forces would never use internationally banned weapons. "Syria's army leadership has stressed this before and we say it again, if we had chemical weapons we would never use them due to moral, humanitarian and political reasons," Zoabi said.

Rebels: Assad forces fired Scud
However, a Syrian rebel commander denied the reports, insisting the government had fired the rocket during intense fighting in the area.

"We were hearing reports from early this morning about a regime attack on Khan al-Assal, and we believe they fired a Scud with chemical agents,” Qassim Saadeddine, a senior rebel and spokesman for the Higher Military Council in Aleppo, said.

“Then suddenly we learned that the regime was turning these reports against us. The rebels were not behind this attack,” he added.

The Reuters photographer, who visited the University of Aleppo hospital and the al-Rajaa hospital in Aleppo city, said he saw patients who were suffering from breathing problems.

“I saw mostly women and children,” he said. “They said that people were suffocating in the streets and the air smelt strongly of chlorine.''

“People were dying in the streets and in their houses,” he added.

Syrian state TV aired footage of what it said were casualties of the attack arriving at one hospital in Aleppo.

Breathing trouble
Men, women and children were rushed inside on stretchers as doctors inserted medical drips into their arms and oxygen tubes into their mouths. None had visible wounds to their bodies, but some interviewed said they had trouble breathing.

Three boys lay on the floor beside each other with drips in their arms. One man was taken from an ambulance wearing combat trousers. An unidentified doctor interviewed on the channel said the attack was either "phosphorus or poison".

Assad, fighting a two-year uprising against his rule, is widely believed to have a chemical arsenal.

Syrian officials have neither confirmed nor denied having a chemical weapons capability, but have said that if it existed it would be used to defend against foreign aggression, not against Syrians.

The U.S. and Western nations have warned Damascus against any use of chemical weapons and have also expressed concern about stockpiles falling into the hands of militant groups.

A spokeswoman for Britain's Foreign Office said it was aware of the reports, adding that the use of chemical weapons, if proven, would "demand a serious response from the international community and force us to revisit our approach so far."

Russia – one of Syria’s dwindling number of allies - blamed the opposition, saying it was “seriously concerned” that “weapons of mass destruction are falling into the hands of the rebels,” according to a foreign ministry statement reported by Reuters.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/19/17370550-suffocating-in-the-streets-chemical-weapons-attack-reported-in-syria?lite

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/19/syria-says-rebels-kill-16-in-chemical-weapon-attack/

I hope they can contain this issue before the chemical gets into the hands of Al qaeda or Boko Haram.

This is just plain horrible.

What is the Arab League doing? na only by name abi? or they're waiting for the US/UK & co? The European world & US should stay out (in my opinion) and let Syria's neighbors intervene in this nasty situation. Too too bad for the helpless citizens

war war everywhere.....nija get ready...we r next on d line in Jesus name, amen.
Bh guys bombed my friend in monday attach in kano state. I dey vex

wats my position pls b4 i wil 4get?

coninse: I hope they can contain this issue before the chemical gets into the hands of Al qaeda or Boko Haram.

alqaeda is already in syria, some elements in the syrian rebel camp are alqaeda sympathisers. The jahbat al-nusra front is an offshoot of alqaeda

Syrians are living in hell.

Now that the "Red Line" has been crossed, let's see what the United States/NATO have up their sleeves. How Assad has managed to hang on to power this long is beyond me. Why hasn't he been given the Gaddafi treatment - even though his atrocities are a million times worse than Gaddafi's? This underscores the hypocrisy of the West; or could it be that they are scared of Russia?

Its either the rebel are lying or the govt. Then if not obvious an external force is involved, probably a terrorist group or even US

Mogbe.... Poor citizens...... So rebels n govt con dey push blame... Na wa o

Wetin concern us? All these Arabs and fight sef.

i dont know if dis is true/a false flag...this news is a propaganda 4rm western media.we know dat the rebels are us-nato's proxy in syria.

US SHOULD PLEASE SEND JACK BAUER TO LOCATE THE WEAPONS AND APPREHEND THE CULPRITS.

pro01: Now that the "Red Line" has been crossed, let's see what the United States/NATO have up their sleeves. How Assad has managed to hang on to power this long is beyond me. Why hasn't he been given the Gaddafi treatment - even though his atrocities are a million times worse than Gaddafi's? This underscores the hypocrisy of the West; or could it be that they are scared of Russia?

You've answered your own qstn.And its not jst Russia,there's China,another world super power.God only lnows why they've given Assad all the backing he needs to terrorise his own people in his bid 2 hold on 2 power.Then he also has the support of the usual miscreants,Iran n co

try to understand international poitics b4 u contribute, rusia and china didnt veto security intervention in syria as they did in libya

Chemical weapons. . . .like the ones found in Iraq right?

Make dem cum borrow us make we take wipe dis boko boys out

its a conspiracy to me. The islamist terrorist jihadist could supply the rebel this weapon and unleash it on the people to blackmail syrian govt. I'm not supporting the syrian government on the war but the extremist can go extrem as there name imply to win victory if it cost sacrificing there love ones on the line.

Real Craze World

pro01: Now that the "Red Line" has been crossed, let's see what the United States/NATO have up their sleeves. How Assad has managed to hang on to power this long is beyond me. Why hasn't he been given the Gaddafi treatment - even though his atrocities are a million times worse than Gaddafi's? This underscores the hypocrisy of the West; or could it be that they are scared of Russia?

Russian support is what is keeping the Assad regime going.
It is not hypocrisy if the west intervenes in favour of the rebels and Russia comes to fight for the government, then US allies join and Russian allies will not sit back and watch. What will you then have? 3rd world war. That's how I see it.

Propaganda and hypocrisy....an excuse for invasion.Why isn't Israel condemned for using white phosphorous on the Palestians?...a chemical that melts people and banned in warfare? Why would the US be training and arming rebels in Jordan to overthrow the Syrian government? Do we for a moment stop to think how a small group of people...like a local gang...can suddenly become so powerful as to fight the military and overthrow the government? It has happened in Egypt and Libya ... now happening in Syria but hampered by the presence of Russia. Only a matter of time for Nigeria to be on the front burner.

Y do u av to force me to comment!!! *crying*

pro01: Now that the "Red Line" has been crossed, let's see what the United States/NATO have up their sleeves. How Assad has managed to hang on to power this long is beyond me. Why hasn't he been given the Gaddafi treatment - even though his atrocities are a million times worse than Gaddafi's? This underscores the hypocrisy of the West; or could it be that they are scared of Russia?

NATO will have to get past Russia and China to reach Assad. And I'm pretty sure the former don't want to start WW3.

Originalsly: Propaganda and hypocrisy....an excuse for invasion.Why isn't Israel condemned for using white phosphorous on the Palestians?...a chemical that melts people and banned in warfare? Why would the US be training and arming rebels in Jordan to overthrow the Syrian government? Do we for a moment stop to think how a small group of people...like a local gang...can suddenly become so powerful as to fight the military and overthrow the government? It has happened in Egypt and Libya ... now happening in Syria but hampered by the presence of Russia. Only a matter of time for Nigeria to be on the front burner.

Proxy war. That is what it is called. The lesson is; do not ever put yourself in a predicament like that.

Love of power by muslims. Hmmm.

pro01: Now that the "Red Line" has been crossed, let's see what the United States/NATO have up their sleeves. How Assad has managed to hang on to power this long is beyond me. Why hasn't he been given the Gaddafi treatment - even though his atrocities are a million times worse than Gaddafi's? This underscores the hypocrisy of the West; or could it be that they are scared of Russia?

Russian stance is one issue and the fact that Syria was not a sworn NATO enemy like GHADDAFI BEFORE THE UPRISING.

Mogbe.... Poor citizens...... So rebels n govt con dey push blame... Na wa o[/quote] Unknow sojääää na him do am, unknow sojä. Fela kuti

kpozite:
Russian support is what is keeping the Assad regime going.
It is not hypocrisy if the west intervenes in favour of the rebels and Russia comes to fight for the government, then US allies join and Russian allies will not sit back and watch. What will you then have? 3rd world war. That's how I see it.

I don't think Russia's interest in Syria (or more specifically, interest in Assad) is substantial enough for it to risk WWIII in defending at all costs. Other than arms sales of a few billion dollars, and a few cultural and economic connections between both countries, I don't see how it is a matter of life and death for Russia. In any case, the cultural and economic ties between Russia and Syria do not necessarily depend on the continuity of Assad's regime. I guess it's essentially down to Putin's recalcitrance and petulant anti-American stance; but then, even madness has its limits.

Even without an enabling UNSC resolution (since Russia would always veto), NATO must move in ASAP - perhaps using the 'just war' principle to oust this maniac called Assad. I think Russia would not plunge head-long into Assad's defence if and when this happens. As for China, it is not so much a scary proposition, since its leadership appears saner than Putin anyway, and its interests in Syria do not go beyond the obvious.