France is prepared to carry out airstrikes in Syria again if chemical arms are used in the Syrian province of Idlib, where a large-scale government offensive against militants could take place, an official said.
On April 14, the U.S., the UK and France carried out missile strikes on several targets in Syria in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Duma that reportedly took place on April 7.
Damascus rejected allegations of its involvement in the use of chemical weapons.
Chief of the Defence Staff Francois Lecointre said on Thursday, the Nusra Front terrorist organization (banned in Russia) has joined four other groups in Idlib to form a terrorist alliance called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is widely regarded as the dominant force on the ground in the province.
The Syrian government has pledged to drive the remaining terrorists out of Idlib and has begun taking steps toward full-scale military operations in the territory.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned that HTS terrorists are planning a false-flag chemical weapons attack in Idlib in a bid to provoke Western retaliation against the Syrian government. (Sputnik/NAN)