LATEST: Foreign Ministry — We Never Used Chemical Weapons

The Syrian military has launched an aerial and ground offensive against Adra, a town 12 miles north of Damascus that was captured by insurgents last December.

The insurgent victory was a counter at the time to the regime’s Qalamoun campaign, which took a series of cities and towns between Damascus and the Lebanese border.

State media claims from a “military source” that Army units advanced on several axes into Adra’s Old Town, tightened control of gas factories and buildings, and killed “terrorists”, and destroyed their weapons.

Footage promoting the military’s attack:

Victory in Adra would support the Syrian military’s attempt to pacify the East Ghouta area near Damascus, the site of a series of battles this summer. State news agency SANA claimed on Saturday operations were carried out in in Tal a-Sawan, al-Bilalieh, Zamalka, Douma, and Ain Tarma.

Foreign Ministry: We Never Used Chemical Weapons

Trying to counter recent findings of the use of chlorine gas against civilians in attacks this spring, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday that the conclusions are being issued because of recent advances by the Syrian military near Damascus and in Hama Province.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, investigating the April-May attacks in Hama and Idlib Province, concluded that chlorine had been used on the local population in at least three towns. Activists, doctors, and residents said at least 20 people were killed and hundreds wounded by the chlorine canisters, dropped inside barrel bombs by regime helicopters.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told a Congressional committee on Thursday that the Assad regime bore responsibility for the attacks. Washington has also warned that Damascus may not have handed over all its chemical weapons for destruction.

The Foreign Ministry, continuing the regime’s line of blaming insurgents, said those conspiring against Damascus “might provide chemical weapons to terrorist organizations to be used against the Syrian people and frame the Syrian Arab Army for the attacks”.

Speaker of Assembly: Intervention Against Islamic State Must Be Agreed With Damascus

The Speaker of the People’s Assembly, Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, has repeated the Assad regime’s line that any intervention against the Islamic State must be agreed with Damascus.

Al-Laham told legislators that the consideration of the US and other countries of a coalition does “not reflect a true will to confront terrorism” if it is pursued outside the framework of the UN Security Council — where Russia can veto any step unacceptable to the Syrian regime.

The Speaker denounced the coalition, saying its members “armed, financed, trained, and sent terrorists to Syria”.

Turkish Security Forces Clash With Kurds as 70,000 Cross Border

Turkish security forces Sunday fired tear gas and water on dozens of Kurds near the Syrian border, after tens of thousands of refugees fled an advance by the Islamic State.

Authorities temporarily closed the border.

The State-run Anadolu Agency said Kurdish protesters threw stones at the security forces when they prevented onlookers from approaching the border. Private NTV television said the security forces blocked a group of Kurds who claimed they wanted to take aid to beleaguered civilians in Syria.

The UN refugee agency said Sunday that about 70,000 Syrians have crossed into Turkey since Friday, following the Islamic State’s occupation of dozens of villages near the key town of Kobane.

Video: Regime Forces Moving in Northern Hama Province

A montage of Syrian military operations in northern Hama Province:

Regime forces have been pushing back insurgents who had moved within 2-3 kilometers of Hama Military Airport and Hama city, retaking the town of Halfaya. Battles continued throughout the area this week, with each side claiming successes.

Jabhat al-Nusra Attacks Hezbollah Checkpoint in Lebanon

The insurgent faction Jabhat al-Nusra claimed responsibility late Saturday for an attack on a Hezbollah checkpoint in northeast Lebanon.

Jabhat al-Nusra said the attack destroyed a 57-mm cannon.

Security sources said earlier that at least three people were killed in a suicide bombing on the checkpoint in the village of Khreibeh near the Syrian border, but Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV said there were no casualties.

On Friday, three Lebanese Army soldiers were slain in the Bekaa Valley by a roadside bomb, and claims circulated that Jabhat al-Nusra had killed another soldier abducted last month.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Army units carried out attacks on the outskirts of the town of Arsal, a town filled with Syrian refugees and insurgents.

The Army said it had killed and wounded “a large number” of militants, and would continue the fight “whatever the sacrifices might be”.