REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON -- The United States is "very disappointed" that Russia on Tuesday cast a veto at the United Nations Security Council against renewing a mandate to continue an investigation into who was responsible for the use of chemical weapons during Syria's civil war.

"We are disappointed, we are very disappointed that Russia put what it considered to be political considerations over the Syrian people who were so brutally murdered," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a regular briefing.

Russia has used its veto rights on the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday to halt another investigation to reveal who was behind chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

Also read: Syria denies possession of chemical weapons

A senior Syrian military officer on April denied reports of military toxic attack on rebel-held area in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

"This didn't happen and will not happen, not now and not before," the military officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Earlier in the day, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said warplanes carried out intensive airstrikes on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in the countryside of Idlib province, killing 58 people, mostly civilians.

The opposition accused the Syrian air force of being behind the attack.

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