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 emergency responders and opposition media outlets.
The White Helmets civil defence organisation said 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 Sarakeb and surrounding villages. Rescue workers described scenes of breathing difficulties, foaming at the mouth and convulsions among the dead.
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. The Russian Defence Ministry said it was investigating the incident and called for an independent United Nations assessment before attributing responsibility.
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 of what it called “an indiscriminate attack on civilians.” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara held the Syrian government responsible and would raise the incident at the United Nations Security Council.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it was aware of reports and was gathering information. The OPCW fact-finding mission, which has documented chemical weapons use in Syria in previous years, said it would consider a request for an on-site investigation if tasked by the UN.
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 in Brussels. The attacks came as the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, was preparing to resume indirect talks between Damascus and opposition representatives in Geneva next week.
Idlib province remains the last major stronghold of armed opposition groups in Syria following the recapture of eastern Aleppo, Ghouta and Daraa by government forces. The area is covered by a de-escalation agreement brokered by Turkey and Russia in 2018, though that arrangement has been repeatedly violated. Airstrikes, including suspected chemical attacks, have been documented by the OPCW and UN mechanisms in the province on multiple occasions since 2017.
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 under a loose ceasefire that has frayed but not fully collapsed.