Sputnik News- Syrian President Bashar called the Idlib chemical attack in Syria "a cover up for the American intervention" in the country, which President Donald Trump intended to use to get support in his home country amid various conflicts with the members of the US establishment.

Allegations of�a chemical attack in�Khan Sheikhoun in�Syria's Idlib province is part of�a campaign to�demonize the country's authorities and a cover for�the US intervention in�Syria, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in�an interview with�Belarus� ONT channel on�Thursday.

"Of course, it was part of�the campaign waged on�Syria with�the aim of�demonizing the Syrian state� After they failed in�marketing their policy towards�ISIS [Daesh] and al-Nusra through�their support of�these two organizations directly or indirectly� they wanted to�wash their hands of�the subject and to�show that the problem in�Syria is not ISIS and al-Nusra but�the state which is killing its innocent citizens by�using toxic gases," Assad said as�translated and quoted by�the Syrian state-run SANA news agency, when asked about�the nature of�the chemical attack.

The Syrian president added that the chemical attack was also "a cover up�for the American intervention in�Syria" as�US President Donald Trump was facing conflicts within�his administration as�well as�with other forces, lobbies, media and corporations in�the United States.

"So by�doing that, he wanted to�present his credentials to�these groups. The chemical attack issue is also a justification for�this intervention," Assad said.

He also noted it was a "planned process" aimed to�achieve a number of�goals at�the same time.

"Russia and Iran presented a draft proposal to�the Organization for�the Prohibition of�Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and they refused to�approve an investigation, because it will prove only one thing, that they were lying," the Syrian president said.

On April 4, the National Coalition for�Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces blamed the Syrian government for�the incident in�Khan Sheikhoun, which allegedly involved the use of�chemical weapons. Damascus denied any involvement in�the incident and the Syrian army said it did not possess chemical weapons as�they had been destroyed by�the Organization for�the Prohibition of�Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The incident was used by�the United States as�pretext for�a missile strike against�a Syrian military airbase on�April 7.