The US State Department issued a new statement on Thursday, claiming that they concluded the Syrian government used “chlorine gas” in a May 19 rocket attack which wounded a handful of civilians around Idlib.



That the US reached this “conclusion” is hardly a surprise, as they had blamed Syria pretty much the instant it was reported, and there is no sign that any actual investigation took place, just a reiteration of the US position.



Blaming Syria for chemical attacks is the go-to policy, but this statement is ill-timed, as it comes amid growing doubts about the much bigger April 2017 accusation, with scientists reporting that there is evidence that the allegations were false.



The accusations are also increasingly a political issue, with intense pressure on publications not to publish research documents that don’t support the Trump Administration’s claims, and the US never offering anything that looks like evidence.



Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz