An international inquiry has identified two Syrian Air Force helicopter squadrons and two other military units as responsible for chlorine gas attacks on civilians, a Western diplomat told Reuters.

The finding by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the global chemical weapons watchdog, is based on Western and regional intelligence, the diplomat said.

"It was the 22nd Division, the 63rd Brigade and the 255 and 253 squadrons of the Syrian government," the envoy said.