At least 70 people were killed after a chemical attack on
Saturday, April 7, in a small town of Douma in Syria.
Douma, located in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta region, is the last
town with the remaining rebel group.
According a recent report by BBC, a helicopter dropped a
barrel bomb containing Sarin, a toxic nerve agent, on Saturday.
The White Helmets, a volunteer organization in
rebel-controlled regions in Syria and Turkey, initially reported 42 death
casualties and the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM), later
confirmed 70 deaths. More than 500 people, mostly women and children, were
transferred to local medical centers with symptoms including excessive oral
foaming and critical respiratory distress.
◎International Repercussions
President Trump condemned the chemical attack and said the
White House is investigating the situation closely and will find out who is
behind the attack.
“We’ll be making some major decisions over the next 24-48
hours,” said President Trump on Monday.
“This is about humanity,” added Trump, “and it can’t be
allowed to happen.”
President Trump tweeted on Sunday, “President Putin, Russia
and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad.”
While Syrian government denies its involvement in the death
of dozens of people in Douma, it did not stop Israel from holding Assad regime accountable
for the attack. Israel launched a missile attack against Syrian air base hours
after the chemical attack.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May has
also condemned the chemical attack.
“Saturday’s horrific attack against the people of Douma,
among them a number of innocent children, was utterly reprehensible,” said May,
“This has been an absolutely barbaric attack that has taken place.”
The prime minister added, “We are clear that those
responsible should be held to account.”
◎Russia is calling the attack “a hoax”
Russia, Syrian government’s long-standing ally, is referring
to the chemical attack on Saturday as a “far-fetched and fabricated pretext [for military intervention] in
Syria”.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that foreign military
intervention in Syria based on “a hoax” is unacceptable and could lead to severe
consequences.
In April 2017, approximately one year ago today, U.S.
launched a missile attack in Syrian air base in response to Assad regime killing
nearly 100 civilians with chemical weapon.