MOSCOW (AP) Russia's foreign minister claimed on Friday that a suspected chemical attack in the Syrian town of Douma last weekend was staged with the help of an unspecified foreign intelligence agency.
A day before a team from the international chemical weapons watchdog watchdog was to arrive in Douma, just east of Damascus, Sergey Lavrov said Russian experts have already inspected the site of the alleged attack and found no trace of chemical weapons.
Moscow, he said, has "irrefutable information that it was another fabrication." Lavrov did not offer evidence to back up his claim.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow, he reiterated warnings to the West against military action in Syria, saying any such "adventures" in Syria would increase flows of refugees into Europe.
"Neither us nor European neighbors need it," he said.
A fact-finding mission from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is expected to head to Douma, where the suspected attack took place on Saturday. The Syrian government said it would facilitate the mission's investigation.
On Thursday, Russia's military said Douma has been brought under full control of the Syrian government under a Russia-mediated deal that secured the evacuation of the rebels and thousands of civilians after it was recaptured by Syrian forces. The government, however, said evacuations from Douma were ongoing and no Syrian government forces had entered the town.
Douma and the sprawling eastern Ghouta region near the capital, Damascus, had been under rebel control since 2012 and was a thorn in the side of President Bashar Assad's government, threatening his seat of power with missiles and potential advances for years. The government's capture of Douma, the last town held by the rebels in eastern Ghouta, marked a major victory for Assad.
The suspected poison gas attack in Douma, which killed more than 40 people, has drawn international outrage and prompted the United States and its allies to consider a military strike on Syria, something Moscow has strongly warned against.
Lavrov said that "intelligence agencies of a state that is now striving to spearhead a Russo-phobic campaign were involved in that fabrication." He didn't elaborate or name the state.
In a reference to the U.S., he said that it "it would only benefit those who are protected by the ocean ... and engage in continuous efforts to stir up the region in order to advance their geopolitical goals."
Russia has dismissed the purported chemical attack as fake and strongly warned the U.S. and its allies against launching a military strike in Syria.
Lavrov noted that Russian and U.S. militaries have a hotline to prevent incidents, adding that it's not clear if it would be sufficient amid mounting tensions.