Domenico Quirico and Pierre Piccinin de Prata were kidnapped while working in the war torn country in April.
Italian journalist Domenico Quirico, pictured after arriving in Italy on Sunday.
Quirico, a veteran reporter for La Stampa daily with vast experience of reporting on conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, told the newspaper: 'In this conversation, they said that the gas attack on two neighborhoods of Damascus was launched by the rebels as a provocation to lead the West to intervene militarily.
'We were unaware of everything that was going on during our detention in Syria, and therefore also with the gas attack in Damascus.'
Although Mr Quirico was quick to point out that he had no proof that the claims made in the conversation were genuine or who the men involved really were, he alleges that one of three men involved in the exchange identified himself as a Free Syria Army general.
His fellow captive, Mr Piccinin de Prata told Belgian radio station RTL that he had a 'moral duty' to share what he heard.
Since they were released on Sunday, the pair have spoken of their ordeal at the hands of their captors, who were thought to be from the Free Syria Army.
The men told reporters that they were beaten on a daily basis and subjected to two mock executions.
Piccinin said that they were treated as though they were 'subhuman'.
It strikes me as quite bizarre that any 'Free Syrian' fighter, not to mention General, would be speaking in english. If this is in fact true, it says more about the situation within the rebel army than any admission to using chemical weapons. Speaking english to english speakers, obviously.
It seems to be me that this could also be anti-war propaganda. And although I ask myself, 'well, anti-war propaganda, how bad can that be,' propaganda IS propaganda.