Syria, rebels trade blame over poison-gas attack

DAMASCUS, Syria — At least 50 civilians were being treated Saturday after a suspected poison gas attack by Syrian rebel groups on the government-held city of Aleppo in the country’s north, Syrian state media reported.

Doctors told state TV that most of those admitted to hospitals suffered from breathing problems and blurred vision. One doctor said two people were in critical condition, including a child.

Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said there was a stench of gas in Aleppo after projectiles were fired.

“There are often missiles on the city, but this is the first time we smelled such a smell,” one patient said, without giving his name.

Aleppo Police Chief Essam al-Shali told state TV that the projectiles landed in the al-Khalidiya neighborhood and that wind conditions caused the gas to spread.

Aleppo Gov. Hussein Diab visited the injured at the hospital. He told state TV that a total of 41 people had been admitted.

Health official Haj Taha later said the number of injured was up to 50, adding that symptoms suggest the gas used was chlorine. Further tests are needed, he said.

Rebel commanders and opposition figures denied they fired poison gas into Aleppo.

On Twitter, rebel commander Abdel-Salam Abdel-Razek accused the government of staging the gas attack to frame the rebels.

Rebel spokesman Mustafa Sejari said the government is seeking to undermine an existing cease-fire. Earlier Saturday, government shelling of a rebel-held area in neighboring Idlib province killed at least seven civilians.

Elsewhere, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday accused the United States of pursuing a “hidden agenda” in Syria.

Lavrov said that in contrast to U.S. claims that it is intervening in Syria to help in the fight against the Islamic State militant group, the Americans’ true goal is to overturn the Syrian government that’s supported by Moscow.

Lavrov told the press while visiting Lisbon, Portugal, that “my suspicion [is] that the U.S. looks upon [the Islamic State] as a justification for their military participation in Syria.”