France says analysis of open sources, intelligence proved Syria gas attack

The report was released after coordinated strikes by Britain, France and the United States on Syrian government targets overnight.

In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) fires a Tomahawk land attack missile early Saturday, April 14, 2018, as part of the military response to Syria's use of chemical weapons on April 7. | Associated Pres 

PARIS: France concluded after technical analysis of open sources and "reliable intelligence" that a chemical attack on Douma on April 7 was carried out by Syrian government forces, a declassified intelligence report showed on Saturday.

The report was released after coordinated strikes by Britain, France and the United States on Syrian government targets overnight.

The United States, Britain and France had carried out a wave of punitive strikes against Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime on Saturday in response to alleged chemical weapons attacks that President Donald Trump branded the "crimes of a monster."

"A perfectly executed strike," US President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday in the aftermath of his second decision in two years to fire missiles against Syria. His choice of words recalled a similar claim associated with President George W. Bush following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

(with AFP inputs)

Related Article

Syria airstrikes UPDATES | Trump calls it 'perfectly executed strike'; UN Security Council to meet at Russia's request