Syria chemical attack would be the eighth since Trump took office

Oren Dorell | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Children recovering in hospital after gas attack on rebel-held Douma A suspected poison gas attack on the rebel-held town of Douma, near the Syrian capital, has killed at least 40 people, according to Syrian activists, rescuers and medics.

A suspected weekend chemical attack in a Damascus suburb would be at least the eighth since President Trump took office and the worst since he launched a military strike at Syrian government forces last April.

At least 42 people died and 500 were injured late Saturday in the town of Douma, many of them while sheltering in basements during an artillery and bombing attack, rescue and medical workers told the Associated Press.

The assault is the worst since a sarin gas attack April 4, 2017, that killed 86 people in Khan Shaykhun. Two days later, the United States launched 59 cruise missiles on a Syrian air base the U.S. said was used to launch the sarin attack.

Trump and other world leaders condemned Saturday's incident and said they would respond.

"Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price... to pay," Trump tweeted.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called for immediate action. "These latest reports must urgently be investigated and the international community must respond," he said in a statement.

Johnson said Britain supports an investigation into the reports by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. "Russia must not yet again try to obstruct these investigations," Johnson said.

The organization's Syria mission has not been authorized since October, when Russia vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution that would have renewed its mandate. Russia has since moved to undermine the U.N.’s chemical weapons watchdog.

More: Trump blames Putin, Obama for 'mindless' chemical attack in Syria

More: Syria's civil war has been raging for 7 years and no end in sight

Syria's chemical attacks continue because they make Syrian leader Bashar Assad's chronically undermanned forces more effective, and the Syrian leader believes he can use them with relative impunity, said Andrew Tabler, a Syria analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

"The reason they’re using it is to amplify the fear and make the military efforts easier so they can declare victory," Tabler said. And because Russia is running interference for Assad at the U.N., "they think they can get away with it," he said.

Many chemical attacks have been documented since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, according to the United Nations' Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.

Suspected chemical attack in Syria the eighth in Trump's presidency The suspected chemical attack in Syria which left 42 people dead and hundreds injured is already the eighth in President Trump's first term. Nathan Rousseau Smith has the story.

All have been attributed to the Syrian government forces loyal to Assad and supported by Russia and Iran:

July 1, 2 and 7, Ayn Tarma, Zamalka, Jowbar — Chlorine was used against Faylaq ar-Rahman fighters, 45 of whom experienced reddening eyes, profuse nasal secretions, coughing, choking and bronchial secretions.

April 7, Al Hayat Hospital — Two men were admitted with symptoms of a chlorine attack.

April 4, Khan Shaykhun — Sarin gas attack killed at least 85 people and injured hundreds.

March 30, Al-Latamneh — Two bombs injured at least 85 people, including two minors and nine medical personnel.

March 29, Qabun — Three rockets were launched; one released a cloud that smelled like chlorine and injured 35 people, including one woman and two children.

March 25, Al-Latamneh Hospital — A helicopter dropped a chlorine barrel bomb, killing three men and injuring 32 people.

Jan. 30, Sultan al-Marj — A chlorine attack near a front-line position injured 11 men.