Suspected Chemical Attack Kills Dozens in Syria’s Idlib Province
DOHA/GENEVA/CAIRO — At least 34 civilians, including 11 children, were killed and more than 120 others wounded in a suspected chemical weapons attack in rebel-held Idlib province in northwestern Syria on Thursday, according to the White Helmets civil defence organisation and local health officials.
Victims showed symptoms consistent with exposure to a chemical agent, possibly chlorine or sarin, following an air strike that struck a residential area in the town of Ariha, the White Helmets said. The strike came from government-controlled airspace, the group said in a statement, adding that rescue workers were still pulling bodies from the rubble hours after the attack.
The Syrian government denied involvement. A statement from Damascus called the reports “fabricated” and said government forces had not conducted any strikes in the Idlib de-escalation zone.
Turkey, which backs some opposition factions in Idlib and has observer forces embedded with rebel groups in the province, convened an emergency security meeting in Ankara and issued a formal condemnation. “This is a grave escalation that cannot be tolerated,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in a televised statement.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it was aware of reports and was gathering information. The OPCW fact-finding mission has documented chemical weapons use in Syria on multiple occasions since the conflict began.
France and Germany said they were consulting on new European sanctions against Syrian officials connected to chemical weapons use. An emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers is scheduled for next week.
Idlib province remains the last major stronghold of armed opposition groups in Syria. The area is covered by a de-escalation agreement brokered by Turkey, Russia, and Iran, though violations have been repeatedly documented.
The latest incident threatens to destabilise fragile diplomatic efforts and complicates ongoing negotiations over the fate of approximately three million civilians living in the province.
— Layla Hassan covers the Middle East and North Africa for Media Hook. Additional reporting by the Geneva bureau.