MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. Militants from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (banned in Russia) and the White Helmets organization are planning to stage a chemical weapons attack in the south of the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria, chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Conflicting Sides Yury Borenkov said on Thursday.

"Moreover, the Russian Reconciliation Center received information that leaders of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group, together with members of the White Helmets pseudo-humanitarian organization, plan to stage the use of poisonous substances and destruction of civilian infrastructure facilities in settlements in the southern part of the Idlib de-escalation zone," Borenkov said.

"The aim of the provocation is to prepare photo and video materials to distribute them on the internet, in Middle Easten and Western media, accusing the Syrian government forces of using chemical weapons against civilians and of delivering indiscriminate strikes," he added.