France's Hollande urges int'l action to alleged fatal gas use in Syria

French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday urged international community to take swift act against the alleged use of fatal gas in Syrian city of Idlib which he described as "a war crime."

The French president made the call during a defense council at the Elysee Palace.

Hollande on Tuesday accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of being responsible for an alleged gas attack in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province.

However, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the Syrian army doesn't have any kind of chemical weapons.

Moreover, Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told pan-Arab Mayadeen TV that the rebels who are supported by France, Britain, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia were the ones behind the chemical attack.

On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry also said the deadly gas contamination in Idlib was caused by the explosion of chemical weapons produced by the rebels.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 58 people were killed and tens of others wounded by the gas attack in the rebel-held Idlib on Tuesday.

Source: Xinhua