Syrian government claims rebels launched a chemical attack on Aleppo.

A civilian being treated in Aleppo. BBC/AFP.

The Syrian and Russian governments claim that rebels have launched a chemical attack on civilians in Aleppo. BBC. 100 civilians were injured in the attack which reportedly involved an artillery strike and chlorine gas. The rebels denied the attack and said that the governments of Syria and Russia faked the attack in order to justify new attacks. Russia did launch airstrikes at the location they said the attack was launched from. 

My Comment:

Somehow I don't see this attack getting the media attention that the ones supposedly committed by the Syrian government did. I don't think the usual suspects care if the rebels gas people, it only matters when the Syrian government does. My stance is the same either way, chemical weapons are dangerous and counterproductive and only has a use as a terror weapon. 

The rebels certainly have the capabilities to launch this kind of attack. Chlorine attacks are common in Syria and have been used by Jihadists in the past. ISIS certainly has but they aren't really likely to have been involved considering they don't have any outposts by Aleppo. Al-Nusra and their affiliates have used chemical weapons in the past and that area is their stronghold so I am guessing it was them or their allies that pulled off this attack.  

I guess there is a chance that this wasn't a chemical attack at all. Chlorine does have a lot of industrial uses and it's possible that this was a regular artillery strike that just happened to hit a place that had Chlorine. That seems very unlikely though and I am guessing that this really was an artillery strike. 

I don't think there will be much of an international response to this attack. The western media tends to ignore the attacks by al-Nusra and pretends that ISIS is the only jihadist group in Syria an downplays the atrocities by al-Nusra. If it is proven that al-Nusra that committed this attack I think there should be a similar response to reported chemical attacks by the Syrian government. Somehow I doubt that there will be any airstikes targeting al-Nusra though. 

I don't even know if there will be other repercussions for the rebels from the Syrian and Russian government. Russia did launch airstrikes and destroyed the area they think the attack came from, but that seems to be it. The truce between the rebels and the government looks like it will hold despite this attack.