France warns Syria of forceful response over chemical weapon claims
■ France has said that the international community would need to respond with force if allegations that Syrian government forces had carried out a mass chemical attack on civilians proved to be true. But the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, said there was no question of sending troops on the ground, in an interview with the television network BFM. He added that if the UN security council could not make a decision, one would have to be taken "in other ways." He did not elaborate.
■ The Syrian government acknowledged it had launched a major offensive in rebel-held districts in the east of the capital – described by pro-regime media as the biggest since the start of the civil war – but strongly denied using chemical weapons. "These are lies that serve the propaganda of the terrorists," a Syrian official said, referring to the armed opposition. "We would not use such weapons."
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