Syria Opposition Claims 1,300 Killed in Chremical Attack

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria's main opposition group accused President Bashar al-Assad's regime of killing more than 650 people in a chemical weapon attack near Damascus on Wednesday.

"Over 650 confirmed dead result of deadly chemical weapon attack in Syria," the National Coalition said on Twitter.

Activists had earlier reported some 500 killed as a result of gas inhalation and exposure to chemical weapons.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, says at least 100 people were killed in an attack that struck several rebel areas east and southwest of Damascus.

It did not comment on the allegations about a gas attack.

The Syrian authorities denied charges that the army used chemical arms, saying the reports were intended to hinder the mission of UN inspectors now in the country.