On Tuesday, Russian officials claimed that militants are preparing to use chemical agents in Syria, and intend to put the blame on the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to Tass, a state-run news agency in Russia.

Russian Army Gen. Valery Gerasimov said that the United States is planning to then use the chemical attack as a way to “furnish the so-called ‘evidence’ of the alleged mass civilian deaths through the fault of the Syrian government and the Russian leadership supporting it.”

“As a countermeasure, Washington plans to deliver a missile and bomb strike against Damascus’ government districts,” Gerasimov said, according to Tass.

Those assertions are a distraction from the Assad regime’s own use of chemical weapons in the Syrian capital of Damascus, according to Marine Maj. Adrian Rankine-Galloway, a Pentagon spokesman.

“It is impossible to ignore the growing body of evidence that Syria is continuing to use chemical weapons on its own people — a clear violation of international law,” Rankine-Galloway told Military Times. “As Secretary Tillerson said in Paris in January, Russia ultimately bears responsibility for the countless Syrians targeted with chemical weapons since Russia became involved in Syria.”

In this Sept. 6, 2016, file photo, provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), shows medical staff treating a man suffering from breathing difficulties inside a hospital in Aleppo, Syria, after a chemical attack. (Aleppo Media Center via AP)
In this Sept. 6, 2016, file photo, provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Aleppo Media Center (AMC), shows medical staff treating a man suffering from breathing difficulties inside a hospital in Aleppo, Syria, after a chemical attack. (Aleppo Media Center via AP)

The Pentagon is urging “Russia to stop creating distractions and compel the Assad regime to stop brutalizing innocent Syrian citizens and allow much-needed aid to reach the people of East Ghouta and other remote areas,” Rankine-Galloway said.