Israel voiced doubt on Tuesday about the accuracy of Syrian activists reports that chemical weapons had been used against rebels fighting
{keyword} to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
We have seen reports from the opposition. It is not the first time. The opposition has an interest in drawing in international military intervention, Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Army Radio. As things stand now, we do not have any confirmation or
proof that <chemical>weapons] have already been used, but we are definitely following events with
{keyword} concern, he said.
The gathered activist accounts on Sunday of what they said was a poison gas attack in the city of Homs. The reports are difficult to verify, as the government restricts media access in Syria.
The Observatory, a British-based group with a network of activists across Syria, said those accounts spoke of six rebel fighters who died after inhaling smoke on the front line of Homs s urban battleground. It said it could not confirm that poison gas had been used and called for an investigation.
Syria has said it would never use chemical weapons against its citizens.
Asked about images purported to show patients being treated for possible gas poisoning, Yaalon said: ``I m not sure that what we re seeing in the photos is the result of the use of chemical weapons. It could be other things,`` he said, without elaborating.
On Sunday, senior Israeli defence official Amos Gilad said Syria s chemical weapons were still secure despite the fact that Assad had lost control of parts of the country.
As Syria s southern neighbor, Israel has been concerned about chemical weapons falling into the hands of Islamist militants or Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, cautioning it could intervene to stop such developments.
Residents look at fresh graves of people killed by what activists said were missiles fired by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet at a bakery in Halfaya, near Hama, Syria, December 24, 2012.
Free Syria Army fighters fire as they fight with Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, December 24, 2012.
Free Syria Army fighters fire as they fight with Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, December 24, 2012.
Residents are seen near the remnants of a bomb shell in the ground, which activists said were fired by a Syrian Air
{keyword} Force fighter jet in Erbeen near Damascus, Syria, December 23, 2012.
A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an anti-aircraft artillery weapon during an air strike in Binsh near Idlib, Syria, December 23, 2012.
This image from video obtained from the
{keyword} Shaam News Network shows Syrians helping a wounded man after a government airstrike in Halfaya, outside Hama, Syria, December 23, 2012.
This image from video obtained from the Shaam News Network shows Syrians removing the bodies of those killed after a government airstrike in Halfaya, outside Hama, Syria, December 23, 2012.
A Free Syrian Army fighter in Aleppo, Syria, December 22, 2012.
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