Macron threatens to strike Syria if chemical weapons are used
France will strike Syria if the use of chemical weapons against the civilian population is confirmed, stated French President Emmanuel Macron, Deutsche Welle reports.
Macron clarified that in such a case, the strike will be directed against the locations where the chemical weapons are created or stored. He added that France does not currently possess adequate evidence that such weapons have been used in Syria.
The Syrian government is suspected of carrying out a chemical attack in the city of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib province, killing around 90 people and injuring more than 550.
In January this year, chemical weapons were allegedly used in the opposition-controlled East Ghouta region. Human rights activists hold Damascus responsible.
At the end of January, France announced that it was placing sanctions on 25 companies and private entities which Paris suspects of “supporting the Syrian program to develop and produce chemical weapons”. Not one Syrian politician was placed under restrictive measures, since there is not adequate evidence of them being involved in the chemical weapons development program, the French Foreign Ministry noted.
In January, France called for the UN Security Council to be convened regarding the situation in Syria. France’s permanent representative in the UN warned that Syria may collapse.