1,300 dead in chemical attacks by army: Syria opposition

BEIRUT: Syria's main opposition group accused the government of "massacring" more than 1,300 people in chemical weapons attacks near Damascus Wednesday, as the UN Security Council called for "clarity" and expressed "strong concern" over the allegations.

The accusation was strongly denied by Damascus. It came as a team of UN inspectors was in Syria to probe previous allegations of chemical weapons strikes levelled against both sides during the 29-month conflict.

Following an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York, the council's president, Argentina's envoy Maria Cristina Perceval, said: "There must be clarity on what happened and the situation must be followed carefully."

She added that members "welcomed the determination of the secretary general to ensure a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation".

The 15-nation body expressed "strong concern" about the allegations and agreed that any chemical weapons use is "a violation of international law".

Western governments demanded immediate access for the inspectors to investigate the new allegations. Russia, a longstanding Damascus ally, echoed the call for an inquiry but said it suspected "provocation" by the opposition and its foreign backers.

Videos distributed by activists, the authenticity of which could not immediately be verified, showed medics attending to suffocating children and hospitals being overwhelmed.

More footage showed dozens of people laid out on the ground, among them many children, some of them covered in white sheets.

The claim of chemical weapons use, which could not be independently confirmed, was vehemently denied by the Syrian regime, which said it was intended to hinder the UN weapons inspectors' work.

Opposition sources accused the army of multiple chemical weapons strikes -- one in Moadamiyet al-Sham, southwest of Damascus, and more in the capital's eastern suburbs.

The Local Coordination Committees (LCC), a network of activists, reported hundreds of casualties from the "brutal use of toxic gas by the criminal regime".

In one video posted on YouTube, children are seen receiving first aid in a field hospital, notably oxygen to help them breathe. Doctors appear to be trying to resuscitate unconscious children.

Another video showed what activists said was a case of hysteria following a chemical strike in the eastern suburbs.

A young girl held her head in her hands and frantically repeated "I'm alive", as a man in a white coat tried to comfort her.