What happened?
The White Helmets, a volunteer relief organization that conducts searches and rescues and medical evacuations in Syria, said that 40 people died in a chemical attack in the southern city of Douma. The group blamed the Syrian regime. Symptoms of those seeking medical help included blueish skin, foaming at the mouth, burning sensation in the eyes and difficulty breathing.
A child is treated in a hospital in Douma, eastern Ghouta in Syria, after what a Syria medical relief group claims was a suspected chemical attack on April 7.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll was even higher totaling as many as 80 people, including 40 from suffocation. A statement from the Syrian government said “the army, which is advancing rapidly and with determination, does not need to use any kind of chemical agents.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that no evidence was found of a chemical attack. He also alleged a “provocation” had been prepared to blame the regime for an attack.
World reaction
Following the reports of the chemical’s release, Russia and the Syrian military said Israel fired missiles at a major air base — known as T4 — in central Syria, killing 14 people including three Iranians. The Pentagon denied in a statement that the U.S. military had launched the missile strikes and would continue to “closely watch the situation.” In terms of a U.S. response, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Monday, “I don’t rule out anything right now.” President Trump tweeted that “President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad,” referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and that there was a “big price to pay.”
A year ago, President Trump ordered an airstrike of an air base in Syria following another chemical attack in the rebel held northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun, where at least 58 people died. At the time, Russia said the poison gas was released when Syrian warplanes bombed a facility where rebels were making chemical weapons. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday condemned the Syrian regime’s continued siege of Douma and the bombings over the past 24 hours, which are “in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”
British Prime Minister Teresa May called the attack “barbaric,” saying during a visit to Denmark that “If they are found to be responsible, the regime and its backers, including Russia, must be held to account.” Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu expressed “grave concern” over the latest use of toxic gas and launched an investigation. “Children are dying before our eyes,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.
Key moments on chemical weapons in Syria
