After a two-month long ceasefire between the Syrian government and rebel forces, reports of another suspected chemical attack in Aleppo came on Saturday. The Russian military has launched airstrikes in response.
CBS News reports that:
‘More than 100 people were taken to hospitals in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, after a suspected poison gas attack over the weekend. As President Bashar Assad’s regime traded blame for the alleged attack with anti-government rebels, Russian warplanes backing Assad’s forces hammered rebel targets.
‘Dozens of patients, including children, flooded a hospital in Aleppo on Saturday. CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti reports they were treated for breathing trouble, skin rashes and inflamed eyes — symptoms which doctors said were consistent with chemical warfare.’
First Russian bombing of Idlib since September ceasefire. Russia says it attacked rebels who used chlorine against Aleppo. Urgent to pressure Putin not to broaden the attack to the three million civilians protected in Idlib by the ceasefire. https://t.co/UTGLybxBw4 pic.twitter.com/b4Bx1887PM
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) November 25, 2018
In April 2018, the U.S. government responded to chemical weapons attacks by Bashir al Assad against the Syrian people with an airstrike. Saturday’s chemical weapons attack is the first of its kind since that time.
‘Horrific scenes of a previous chemical attack prompted military action from the U.S., U.K. and France, which carried out missile strikes on three sites they said were, “specifically associated with the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons program.”‘
Syria: Opposition denies launching poison gas attack on Aleppo https://t.co/dHsrcTKkO4 pic.twitter.com/wIOJ5f2WYo
— Al Jazeera News (@AJENews) November 25, 2018
A response is necessary, but at this time no one is clear on which group initiated the attack. Airstrikes in Aleppo by the Russian military are backing Assad’s claims that he is not responsible.
‘But as Vigliotti reported, the use of chemicals, and the subsequent airstrikes by Russian aircraft — which Moscow claimed had targeted rocket launching sites used by the rebels to fire the gas-laden shells — does threaten to shatter a fragile ceasefire that’s been in place since September.
‘”The planes of Russia’s Aerospace Defense Forces carried out strikes on the detected artillery positions of terrorists in the area, from where the shelling of Aleppo civilians with chemical munitions was conducted late” Saturday, Russian military spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.’
Response to suspected chemical weapons attack in Aleppo from @lamamfakih of @HRW pic.twitter.com/61Rjm48QLe
— Iain Levine (@iainlevine) November 25, 2018
While neither the Russian-backed Syrian government nor the rebel forces have claimed responsibility for the attack, the government has been found responsible for similar attacks in the past.
According to Reuters:
‘A past U.N.-OPCW inquiry found the Syrian government used the nerve agent sarin in 2017 and also used chlorine several times. It also blamed Islamic State for using mustard gas.
‘Damascus has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons in the war.’
Reports of a possible chlorine chemical attack against civilians in #Aleppo, #Syria, by extremists in nearby area. At least 30 civilians are injured. Extremists in nearby areas are terrorizing citizens of Aleppo, a city with a large Christian population. pic.twitter.com/2ffXIaUIOl
— Iraqi Christian HRC (@iraqschristians) November 24, 2018
Featured image via YouTube
