U.S. SAYS SYRIAN FORCES LIKELY FIRED TEAR GAS ON CIVILIANS

Washington — The U.S. on Friday accused forces backed by the Syrian government and Russia of firing tear gas at civilians and falsely claiming it was a rebel chemical weapons attack. The incident occurred Nov. 24 amid fighting near the government-held city of Aleppo and reportedly left dozens injured. Syrian officials and state media at the time said rebels used poisonous gas in missiles fired on a neighborhood. The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday repeated the allegation, which the opposition has denied. A State Department spokesman said the government of President Bashar Assad and Russia falsely accused opposition groups of a chlorine attack.