‘Chlorine filled bomb’ used against Syrian rebels

A bomb believed to be filled with chlorine has been dropped on a rebelheld town in Syria as government forces and their Russian allies stepped up attacks.

Nine people were treated for breathing difficulties following the attack on Saraqeb in the northwestern province of Idlib.

At least 23 civilians were killed yesterday east of Damascus. The forces struck at hospitals and residential buildings.

The assault on Idlib – the last rebel-held province in Syria – has intensified in recent weeks, but reached a new ferocity after militants shot down a Russian Su-25 near the town of Saraqeb over the weekend.

Russia has waged a punishing aerial campaign against Syria’s armed opposition since intervening in the civil war on the side of its ally, president Bashar al-assad, in 2015.

The al-qaeda-linked Levant Liberation Committee, which is the strongest militant group in Idlib, said its fighters downed the Russian jet and killed its pilot.