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Beginning of the Chemical Weapons Production
Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi confirmed for the first time that Syria has chemical weapons, stating that these weapons would never be used against the Syrian people, but only against “external aggression.” In the United States, Obama says the use of chemical weapons would be a "red line" that would change his viewpoint on the civil war and have "enormous consequences." -
Attacks on the Syrian Civilians
Hundreds of people suffocate in rebel-held suburbs of the Syrian capital, with many suffering from convulsions, pinpoint pupils, and foaming at the mouth. U.N. investigators visit the sites and determine that ground-to-ground missiles loaded with sarin were fired on civilian areas while residents slept. -
Government Action to Assess the Situation
The White House released the U.S. Government Assessment on the use of chemical weapons in Syria on August 21. The report says that the intelligence community has "high confidence" that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against the opposing government parties in Syria. The U.S. Government Assessment included this map of Damascus and the areas impacted by the alleged August 21 chemical weapons attack. -
More Attacks on Civilians
More than 90 people are killed in a suspected nerve gas attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the rebel-held Idlib province. Victims show signs of suffocation, convulsions, foaming at the mouth and pupil constriction. Witnesses say the attack was carried out by either Russian or Syrian Sukhoi jets. Moscow and Damascus deny responsibility. -
Attacks on the Syrian Civilians
The third chemical weapon attack in 2018 in Douma, Damascus is reported. The two earlier attacks were reported on January 13 and January 22. In all three attacks, chlorine gas was used. Casualties are unknown as chlorine gas has made the area unstable for a human to be exposed to without proper protection. -
Government Action to Resolve Conflict
Russia and Bolivia stopped the strike, which they believed was a violation of the UN Charter. Russia also introduced a draft resolution which condemned "aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic by the US and its allies," but it only received three votes and failed to pass. France, the United Kingdom and the United States announced their intention to introduce a draft resolution on political and humanitarian tracks to resolve the conflict.
