Robert Fisk claimed that there was no chemical attack based on the testimony of a doctor who was not at the scene

Opponents of western military action in Syria seized on an account by a British journalist who failed to find evidence of a chemical attack in Douma during a visit to the city.

Journalists taken into Douma by the Syrian regime on Monday were presented with conflicting accounts by those they spoke to, contradicting both the Russian position and each other.

The Associated Press reported victims saying that there had been a chlorine attack, and that they had been overcome by gas. A reporter for the independent press agency based in New York also said a basement where many people died still smelt strongly.

However, they blamed the rebels, who in Douma were dominated by the Saudi-backed Islamist militia Jaish al-Islam. CBS also reported witnesses speaking