Syrian President Assad knew about the sarin gas attack in Idlib. This was stated by the American TV CNN which, quoting a US military source, reveals that the US military and intelligence have intercepted communications from Syrian military and chemical experts on the preparation for the attack with chemical weapons which caused the death of 70 people, among which many children.
The wiretaps were part of the intelligence material viewed in the hours following the same attack in order to establish responsibility. The same source stressed that the US had no prior knowledge of the raid. The US routinely collects vast quantities of intercepted communications in areas such as Syria and Iraq, material that is often not analyzed except in the case of a particular event that requires analysts to search for related intelligence information. According to CNN, no intercepted material confirming communications on the attack on Idlib by the Russian military or 007 has emerged so far. According to the source, it is probable that the Russians are more careful in preventing their communications from being intercepted.
The information provided by CNN comes at a time of strong tension in relations between the USA and Russia on the Syrian issue, after Wednesday's meeting between US Foreign Ministers Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov aimed precisely at clarifying and, if possible, improving relations between the two superpowers in search of a solution for Syria.
