though other countries and organizations have given lower figures. it said Syrian military chemical weapons personnel were operating in the area over a three-day period before the attack and satellite evidence shows rockets launched from government-held areas 90 minutes before the first report of chemical attack. US intelligence services also intercepted communications between a senior Damascus official who "confirmed chemical weapons were used" and was concerned about UN inspectors obtaining evidence.
Shortly after this intelligence release, Mr Kerry
said he had firm evidence sarin was used in the attack, namely from samples of
hair and blood from emergency workers who attended the scene.
On 2 September the French government released a
declassified summary of its intelligence on the attack, as well as assessments
of video footage.
It concluded that there had been a "massive
use of chemical agents" against civilian populations, that "the
launch zone for the [delivery] rockets was held by the regime while the strike
zone was held by the rebels", and that only the Syrian government had the
stock of chemical weapons and the means of delivering them.
"We believe the Syrian opposition does not
have the capacity to carry out an operation of such magnitude with chemical
agents," the report said.
It said, based on video reports, that it had
counted at least 281 dead, but that such an attack might easily have killed a
higher number.
Russia - which, alongside China, supports the
Syrian government - has challenged the US to present its evidence, with
President Vladimir Putin describing claims the government was behind the attack
as "utter nonsense". Russian officials instead suggest Syrian rebels
were behind the attack to try to provoke the international community to respond
with military action.
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