Syria accuses rebels of using chemical weapon

Syria's state news agency today accused rebels of killing 15 people by using chemical weapons in the northern province of Aleppo.

“Terrorists fired a rocket containing chemical substances in the Khan al-Assal area of rural Aleppo and initial reports indicate that around 15 people were killed, most of them civilians,” SANA claimed.

Meanwhile, Syria’s opposition leaders have elected IT expert Ghassan Hitto, who has US citizenship, as provisional prime minister. At a meeting of the Syrian National Coalition in Istanbul that stretched into the night, Mr Hitto, 50, received 35 votes of around 50 cast by members. “I give great thanks to the heroes and revolutionaries of the Syrian people. We are with you,” Mr Hitto said.

His first task will be to form a government to oversee services in areas captured from the forces of President Assad.

Mr Hitto will have to secure funding of at least £300 million a month for an alternative administration to reopen schools and pay public servants in regions where the central authority has collapsed.