Activists: Fierce clashes in Syrian capital suburbs where opposition claimed chemical attack

BEIRUT – Activists are reporting fierce battles and shelling in suburbs of the Syrian capital where the opposition claimed a chemical weapons attack this week killed more than 100 people.

In neighbouring Lebanon, the army said in a statement that troops have captured a truck with “large amounts” of gas masks in the southeastern village of Kfeir near the border with Syria.

It did not say whether the masks were heading to Syria.

The offensive entered its third day Friday and comes as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the Syrian government to allow a U.N. team now in Damascus to swiftly investigate the alleged attack.

Ban is also sending U.N. disarmament chief Angela Kane to Syria to press for an investigation.

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the fighting Friday.