The UN Security council voted unanimously Friday to set up a panel to identify who is behind deadly chlorine gas attacks in Syria, which the west blames on the Damascus regime.

Russia, Syria’s veto-wielding ally, endorsed the measure as did the rest of the 15-member council - a rare display of unity over how to address the conflict.

Under discussion for months, the US-drafted resolution sets up a team of experts tasked with identifying the perpetrators of the chemical weapons attacks and paves the way for possible sanctions to punish them.

The United States, Britain and France have repeatedly accused president Bashar al-Assad's forces of carrying out chlorine gas attacks with barrel bombs dropped from helicopters. But Russia maintains there is no solid proof that

Damascus is behind the attacks.

The investigative panel will be given "full access" to all locations in Syria and allowed to interview witnesses and collect materials, according to the resolution passed yesterday.

UN secretary-general ban ki-moon is tasked with assembling the team within 20 days. The panel would present its first findings to the council 90 days after it begins its work, which would be for a duration of one year.

Meanwhile, Islamic State jihadist group abducted 230 civilians, including at least 60 Christians, in a central Syrian town known as a symbol of religious coexistence, a monitoring group said yesterday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the civilians were taken on Thursday in the town of Al-Qaryatain. The Assyrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were some 100 Syriac Christian families being detained in their homes by ISIS.