Syria, Russia deny chemical attack as death toll climbs

The fatality toll rose to at least 75 people, including 20 children

Russia and Syria denied a chemical attack was perpetrated in Idlib province, pushing back against international suspicions that the Assad regime massacred dozens and left others suffocating on the streets.

Russia blamed the deaths on rebels, saying in a Defense Ministry statement that the Syrian air force hit an ammunition depot near Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday because “terrorists” were moving chemical weapons from a warehouse to a location in Iraq. The Syrian army “categorically denied” that it used chemical weapons and also blamed the deaths on “armed terrorist groups,” the official Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

The fatality toll rose to at