Chlorine

Contents: Russia’s ‘humanitarian pause’ in Syria turns into farce on first day; Report: North Korea is selling chemical weapons supplies to Syria; Areas of control in Syria and Iraq

Contents: Turkey gets bogged down with military ‘Operation Olive Branch’ in Afrin, Syria; Syria says it will send its ‘popular forces’ to support the YPG against Turkey in Afrin

Contents: Israel’s F-16 warplane shot down in aftermath of downing Iranian drone; Turkish helicopter shot down in Afrin, days after Russian warplane downed in Idlib; With defeat of ISIS, war escalates, and Syria becomes more fragmented and chaotic

Contents: US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) clash with Syrian regime forces; International Crisis Groups asks Russia to prevent Israel-Iran war in Syria

Contents: Syria’s Bashar al-Assad targets civilians and hospitals in never-ending war of extermination; Russia’s ‘de-escalation zones’ turn into total farce

Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad still has the capability to launch chemical weapon attacks, according to a summary of a confidential watchdog report provided to the United Nations.

Russia said on Thursday it is prepared to work with the United States at the United Nations on how to respond to a report that blamed Syrian government forces for two chlorine gas attacks and ISIS militants for using sulfur mustard gas.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) showed Reuters a report that claims the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) and another rebel group in Syria used chemical weapons.

Contents: Russia and Iran send more troops to Syria to back faltering al-Assad; Putin’s plan for Syria: al-Assad regime in anti-ISIS coalition with West; Assad regime and ISIS are apparently BOTH now using chemical weapons in Syria

Senior U.S. officials believe the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) deployed mustard gas against Kurdish fighters this week in what would be the first confirmed use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) by the terror state. There were also reports last month of possible chlorine gas deployment by ISIS in Iraq, but those reports have not yet been confirmed, and Reuters points out that “chlorine is not a banned chemical agent.”

So many people people visited the Antioch Water park on Thursday afternoon to escape the heat and the drought that when chemicals in the water went awry, over 30 people complained of sickness, prompting the arrival of emergency crews.

Members of the UN Security Council watched videos of doctors who could not save children after a chlorine gas attack in Syria. The footage was so disturbing, members of the council reportedly broke down in tears.