Russian Defense Ministry denies directing Russian airstrikes on Idleb’s Khan Shaikhoun

Moscow – The Russian Defense Ministry denied on Tuesday the allegations published by media outlets about directing Russian airstrikes on Khan Shaikhoun town in Idleb countryside, SANA reported.

Earlier, Reuters quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying that an air strike in Idleb province left 58 people dead. Eleven of them were children. The agency speculated that the strike may have been dealt by government forces, which used a toxic gas.

“The Defense Minister has strongly dismissed another fake by Reuters Russian planes allegedly bombed Khan Shaikhoun. Russian planes carried out no strikes in the area of Khan Shaikhoun,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“Moreover, Reuters quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in Syria, as the source, which in reality has said nothing about Russian planes’ involvement in rumored bombing of Khan Shaikhoun with chemical ammunition,” it added.