MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Moscow keeps receiving reports terrorists have been making preparations for faked chemical attacks in Syria with the aim of discrediting the authorities, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov told TASS in an interview.
"Faked use of chemical weapons, eventually blamed on government troops, are the terrorists’ favorite tactic. We keep getting reports about preparations for them from different sources," Syromolotov said.
He stressed that international terrorism in Syria "suffered a crushing defeat" with Russia playing a key role and Damascus was currently in control of the security situation by and large.
"However, although the Syrian authorities have been exerting vigorous efforts the level of the terrorist threat in the country remains high. The bus explosion in the center of Damascus on October 20, 2021 was one of the worst terrorist attacks. It claimed the lives of 14 Syrian soldiers," Syromolotov said.
He stressed that as a rule terrorists were targeting Syria’s government and law enforcement officials and former militants who have been through the procedure of settling their legal status and agreed to return to peaceful life. Also, the militants continued to commit acts of sabotage against socio-economic infrastructures.
Earlier, Russia’s first deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, said that Russia would go ahead with the operation to track down and eliminate members of the terrorist organization Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) on Syrian territory.