Syria and Russia say the United States has lied about chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian conflict as a way of blocking efforts to end the fighting. A Syrian foreign ministry source condemned what it called “lies and allegations” by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. SANA, Syria's state-operated news agency, reported the Syrian official’s comments. Separately, a Russian diplomat said that whenever progress is made in peace efforts, the United States releases unverified reports of chemical weapons attacks in Syria.