The Latest: Russia: Syria probe must involve many nations

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov listens to his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, April 13, 2017. Lavrov said he expected the OPCW ( Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons ) to conduct an extensive probe into the suspected nerve gas attack on Khan Sheikhoun, Syria, which could produce a report within about three weeks, the British delegation to the commission said Thursday. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) (The Associated Press)

BEIRUT – The Latest on Syria (all times local):

11:45 a.m.

A senior Russian diplomat says Moscow believes that an international probe into last week's chemical attack in Syria should include experts from Brazil, India, Iran and other nations.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov insisted Friday that inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons should visit both the Syrian air base, which the U.S. said had served as a platform for the attack, and the area of the attack as soon as possible.

The U.S. has blamed the Syrian government for launching the attack that killed more than 80, while Russia has claimed that toxic agents were released from a rebel chemical arsenal hit by Syrian warplanes.

Russia vetoed a Western draft U.N. resolution Wednesday saying it failed to mention the need to inspect the area of the attack.

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8:45 a.m.

The Syrian government and the opposition have begun a coordinated population swap of tens of thousands of people from four besieged towns.

Activists including the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said buses carrying rebels began leaving the rebel-held towns Madaya and Zabadani near Damascus on Friday morning in the first phase of the deal, which will also see the evacuation of residents from two pro-government Shiite villages in northern Syria.

Dozens of buses entered the areas Wednesday but by late Thursday people had not boarded them, according to opposition activists in the rebel-held towns.

If the evacuations are completed, they would be the first in number of rounds stretching over two months to evacuate some 30,000 Syrians from besieged areas, in a deal struck by rebels and the government.