Breaking News, 15th of April, 2018

The United States, France and Great Britain handed over their draft resolution on Syria to the members of the UN Security Council. The new draft resolution of the three countries «categorically» condemns the use of chemical weapons in Syria and requires the creation of an independent way to investigate its use. The project also calls for sending the supplies of humanitarian aid, a cease-fire agreement, and also requires the participation of Damascus in the peace talks under the leadership of the United Nations. Negotiations on the Western draft resolution of the UN Security Council on Syria are scheduled to begin on Monday, April 16. One day before, during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the Russian draft resolution condemning the violation of the UN Charter by the Western countries and requiring them to refrain from such actions in the future was barely considered. The document was not adopted because it did not gain the required number of votes.

In the south of Aleppo, an explosion occurred at the largest Iranian military base in Syria, CNN Turk and the Jerusalem Post reported. About 20 people died. According to one version, the explosion occurred after an incident at the ammunition depot. Some eyewitnesses claim that they saw fighters of the Israeli Air Force in the region of the incident. How much information is true is unknown. Israel has not yet commented on the media reports. The press service of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement called the reports of the explosion «untrue.»

The Swiss chemical laboratory in Spitsa, which analyzed the samples taken from the site of the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia by the Organization of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) — declined to comment on the statement of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. «Only the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) can comment on this topic. But we can repeat what was said ten days ago: we have no doubt that Porton Down has identified the substance. The standards of verification are so precise that you can believe the conclusions.» — says the Twitter account of the laboratory. Yesterday, Lavrov, while referring to the laboratory in Switzerland, said that according to that data, the Skripals were poisoned with BZ substance, which is a chemical weapon of arsenals of NATO countries.

A delegation of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) arrived in Syria on Saturday to investigate the alleged chemical attack in the city of Douma, the organization announced today. «The OPCW fact-finding mission has arrived in Damascus to begin its work» — the organization said on Twitter.

According to a survey conducted by BMG Research in the UK, the decision of the Prime Minister Teresa May to strike Syria is supported by only 28% of Britons, The Independent reports. 36% of respondents opposed the military operation, another 25% could not decide, 11% chose the option «I do not know what to answer.» In total, over 1,500 people took part in the survey.

The Syrian command reported the complete liberation of the city of Douma in Eastern Ghouta. The last convoy with the militants have left the city. According to the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties, 3,976 militants and their families left Douma on 107 buses. In total 21 145 people left the city. Syrian Forces of Internal Security arrived to the city with the goal to stabilize the situation in the region and prepare the city for the return of all state institutions after the defeat of the terrorist group «Jays al-Islam».