TEHRAN, Sep. 01 (MNA) – US President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton fired suspicious warnings at Damascus Wednesday, saying that the US would respond “very strongly” if the Syrian government uses chemical weapons in an offensive to retake the Idlib province.

There were also reports that terrorist factions in Idlib were literally setting the stage for a false flag chemical “incident”.

It’s not the first time that US without any evidence has accused the Damascus government of planning the use of chemical weapons.

The first time occurred on March 19, 2013, when the Damascus government was charged with using chemical weapons in the village of Khan al-Asal in northern Syria by US and its Western allies. Although Americans and the West have never been able to prove their claims that Damascus has used weapons of mass destruction, the United Nations refused to hold them accountable.

According to the reports of relevant international bodies, the Syrian government had no chemical weapons, having destroyed them under United States auspices. On June 23, 2014 all of Syria's chemical weapons had been removed. However, the official announcement by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on the extensive cooperation of the Damascus government with the organization has not prevented the continued western allegations.

Washington is hopeful that it will be able to obtain permission from the United Nations Security Council in the future to permit a possible military action against Assad.

The US well aware that any possible military action against the legitimate government of Syria must be made by consensus of the international community. That is precisely why, despite the extensive and unprecedented cooperation of the Damascus government with the Chemical Weapons Convention over the past years, it is again accusing Bashar al-Assad of using chemical weapons without providing any concrete evidence.

The use of the Syrian opposition and their regional and international supporters to stage pre-planned scenario in the use of chemical weapons reflects the sequential defeats of armed opponents of the Assad government.

It should also be noted that a major military operation close to  liberate the city of Idlib is apparently ahead. Idlib is one of the last bases of terrorist groups protected by the United States and the West. Americans know well that the terrorist forces in the city of Idlib are among the last of their kind in Syria.

Abdel Bari Atwan, the famous analyst of the Arab world, wrote “the US government knows well that the Syrian army's recapture of Idlib is close and therefore strongly opposes it.”

The Sputnik news agency released the report saying that the White Helmets were planning a chemical attack with al-Nusra terrorist group against civilians in Idlib in order to provoke western nations into retaliating against Damascus.

The White Helmets allegedly employed eight vans to transport a shipment of barrels of chlorine from Idlib’s Atma factory, which is near the Turkish border and specializes in recycling chlorine, all under heavy protection of al-Nusra terrorists.

Atwan added: “The Russian intelligence reports confirmed that US has used The White Helmets for fake allegations in the region. The Zionists assisted in the protections of the White Helmets in southern Syria. He went on: “The White Helmets are still in Idlib, and if the chemical weapons scenario is repeated again, it is likely that the pretext for air and missile attacks on Syria would be similar to what was claimed last April in the eastern Ghuota.”

It is clear that US and its western allies are overwhelmed by the vast efforts of the Syrian resistance. So, they resort to the repetitive scenario of a false flag chemical attack, trying to delay the launch of this major operation by the Syrian Arab Army and the Russians.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that the US is preparing to launch a new assault on Syria with Britain and France. Russia's foreign ministry has warned three world powers (US, UK, and France) to halt the use of chemical attacks as a means of putting pressure on the government of Damascus and its allies. John Bolton's recent threat of the possibility of an American missile strike against Syria can also be interpreted in this context.

In any case, it is clear that in the event of any foolishness committed by US and the West against Syria, Damascus and its powerful allies, including Iran and Russia, will not stand idly by. Americans themselves know that the axis of resistance has the ability to respond appropriately to any aggression.

MNA/TT