In an interview with a local activist, Mr. al-Yousef described the start of the airstrikes at 7 a.m.

“I took my wife and children and left the house,” he said, through choking sobs. “As we were leaving, just about five minutes later, we started to smell nasty smells.”

He said his children began to cough and he handed them to their mother and told her to flee the town. He went to check on his brothers and their children. They were struggling to breathe. He saw people fall in the street and begin foaming at the mouth before losing consciousness himself.