:Khan Shaykhun chemical attack

{{main|Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war|Destruction of Syria's chemical weapons}}

Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Civil War has been confirmed by the local sources in Syria and by the United Nations. Deadly attacks by chemical weapons during the war include the Ghouta attack in the suburbs of Damascus in August 2013 and the Khan al-Assal attack in the suburbs of Aleppo in March 2013. While no party took responsibility for the chemical attacks, a U.N. fact-finding mission and a UNHRC Commission of Inquiry have both investigated the attacks.

The U.N. mission found likely use of the nerve agent sarin in the case of Khan al-Asal (19 March 2013), Saraqib (29 April 2013), Ghouta (21 August 2013), Jobar (24 August 2013) and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya (25 August 2013). The UNHRC commission later confirmed the use of sarin in the Khan al-Asal, Saraqib and Ghouta attacks, but did not mention the Jobar and the Ashrafiyat Sahnaya attacks. The UNHRC commission also found the sarin used in the Khan al-Asal attack bore "the same unique hallmarks" as the sarin used in the Ghouta attack and indicated the perpetrators likely had access to chemicals from the Syrian Army's stockpile. Those attacks prompted the international community to pressure disarmament of the Syrian Armed Forces from chemical weapons, which was executed during 2014. Despite the disarmament process, dozens of incidents with suspected use of chemical weapons followed throughout Syria, the majority being attributed to anti-government fighters, in particular the Al Qaeda affiliate Al Nusra Front.

In August and October 2016, United Nations reports explicitly blamed the Syrian military of Bashar al-Assad for dropping chlorine bombs on the towns of Talmenes on 21 April 2014, Sarmin on 16 March 2015.[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/world/middleeast/syria-used-chlorine-in-bombs-against-civilians-report-says.html Syria Used Chlorine in Bombs Against Civilians, Report Says] www.nytimes.com {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416015617/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/world/middleeast/syria-used-chlorine-in-bombs-against-civilians-report-says.html |date=16 April 2019 }}. Retrieved 25 August 2016.{{cite web|url=https://undocs.org/S/2016/738|title=Third report of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism |work=undocs.org |date=24 August 2016|access-date=29 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705183215/http://undocs.org/S/2016/738|archive-date=5 July 2017|url-status=live}} and Qmenas, also on 16 March 2015.[https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/N1634106%20%281%29.pdf fourth report of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism] reliefweb.int {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012054009/https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/N1634106%20%281%29.pdf |date=12 October 2018 }} Several other attacks have been alleged, reported and/or investigated. In December 2016, at least 53 people were killed in an alleged chemical weapons attack in ISIL-held villages near Uqairabat that bore similarities to the Ghouta attack, with none of the dead having blast injuries.{{cite web |first1=Martin|last1=Chulov|first2=Kareem|last2=Shaheen |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/13/international-concern-over-claims-of-chemical-weapon-attack-in-syria |title=International concern over claims of chemical weapon attack in Syria |work=The Guardian |date=13 December 2016 |access-date=7 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406212526/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/13/international-concern-over-claims-of-chemical-weapon-attack-in-syria |archive-date=6 April 2017 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-chemicalweapons-idUSKBN1411B5 |title=Syrian Observatory reports suspected gas attack in Islamic State area near Palmyra |work=Reuters |date=12 December 2016 |access-date=7 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505014229/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-chemicalweapons-idUSKBN1411B5 |archive-date=5 May 2017 |url-status=live }}

The immediate context for the Khan Shaykhun attack was the intensified aerial campaign in March and April 2017 by the government and its Russian ally to gain control of Kafr Zeita, Murek and al-Lataminah, then the three remaining rebel-held towns in the northern Hama Governorate.[https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoISyria/A_HRC_36_55_EN.docx Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic] www.ohchr.org {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826203550/https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoISyria/A_HRC_36_55_EN.docx |date=26 August 2018 }}, 8 August 2017 (See Hama offensive (March–April 2017).) On 30 March 2017, an airstrike hit al-Lataminah, around {{convert|15|km|abbr=off|0|sp=us}} from Khan Shaykhun. More than 70 people in the area were then exposed to an unidentified chemical agent and showed symptoms of nausea, agitation, foaming, muscle spasm, and miosis (constriction of the pupil of the eye). Cardiac arrest occurred in two of the victims{{cite web|url=http://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/breaking-chemical-weapons-attack-latamneh-hama-injures-70|title=Breaking: Chemical Weapons Attack in Latamneh, Hama Injures 70|work=Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations|date=30 March 2017|access-date=4 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404220210/http://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/breaking-chemical-weapons-attack-latamneh-hama-injures-70|archive-date=4 April 2017|url-status=live}} and an orthopedic doctor died.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-hama-idUSKBN1711O9|title=Warplanes strike near Syria's Hama as army counter-attacks|quote=Speaking to Reuters from Turkey, Abdallah Darwish, head of the health authority for rebel-held parts of Hama province, said air strikes in the south of Latamneh on Thursday morning had injured many people. "The bombardment had a substance that caused intense irritation, heavy foaming from the mouth, and constricting pupils", said Darwish, citing his medical staff on the ground. A chemical attack hit the same area on Saturday, killing an orthopedic doctor, Darwish added.|work=Reuters|date=30 March 2017|access-date=1 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613200131/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-hama-idUSKBN1711O9|archive-date=13 June 2017|url-status=live}} On 3 April 2017, one day before the Khan Shaykhun attack, a "regime aircraft" allegedly carried out a similar chlorine gas attack on Al-Habit, a nearby village, injuring dozens and killing two children.{{cite news|url=https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2017/04/08/turkish-ngo-urges-helping-hand-after-chemical-attack|title=Turkish NGO urges helping hand after chemical attack|publisher=Daily Sabah|date=8 April 2017|access-date=9 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415020827/https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2017/04/08/turkish-ngo-urges-helping-hand-after-chemical-attack|archive-date=15 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Syrian regime continues to use chlorine gas in Idlib|publisher=Anadolu Agency|date=3 April 2017 |url=http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/syrian-regime-continues-to-use-chlorine-gas-in-idlib/787205|access-date=9 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404031359/http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/syrian-regime-continues-to-use-chlorine-gas-in-idlib/787205|archive-date=4 April 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/24912.html|title=Regime helicopters drop two Chlorine barrels on Hubait town in Idlib|date=4 April 2017|publisher=Zaman Al Wasl|access-date=9 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827171730/https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/24912.html|archive-date=27 August 2017|url-status=live}}

File:2017 Khan Shaykhun chemical attack frontlines.svg

The attack took place around 6:30 a.m. local time on 4 April, before most children and parents had left for school or work.{{cite news|last1=Meuse|first1=Alison|title=The View From Khan Shaykhun: A Syrian Describes The Attack's Aftermath|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/04/05/522093672/the-view-from-khan-shaykhun-a-syrian-describes-the-attacks-aftermath|access-date=3 April 2017|publisher=NPR|date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406043142/http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/04/05/522093672/the-view-from-khan-shaykhun-a-syrian-describes-the-attacks-aftermath|archive-date=6 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite news | title=Syria gas attack: Sobbing father cradles his dead twins after 19 family members die in Idlib sarin poisoning | website=The Telegraph | date=2017-04-05 | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/05/syria-gas-attack-sobbing-father-cradles-dead-twins-19-family/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/05/syria-gas-attack-sobbing-father-cradles-dead-twins-19-family/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | access-date=2021-03-24| last1=Ensor | first1=Josie }}{{cbignore}} Witnesses reported smelling a strange odor about ten minutes after a rocket attack and airstrike, followed by visible symptoms of poisoning. White Helmets volunteers reported four unusually weak explosions.{{cite web|title=Křik o pomoc, oběti zvracely, u pusy se jim tvořila pěna, popisuje chemický útok šéf Bílých přileb|date=13 April 2017|url=https://video.aktualne.cz/dvtv/krik-o-pomoc-obeti-zvracely-u-pusy-se-jim-tvorila-pena-popis/r~02bc5168204211e7a4f4002590604f2e/|publisher=Aktuálně.TV|language=en, cs|access-date=13 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413235150/https://video.aktualne.cz/dvtv/krik-o-pomoc-obeti-zvracely-u-pusy-se-jim-tvorila-pena-popis/r~02bc5168204211e7a4f4002590604f2e/|archive-date=13 April 2017|url-status=live}} Victims were treated at al-Rahma hospital in Idlib. Medical workers and witnesses said the attack was different than the chlorine gas attacks they had experienced in the past, in which the chlorine gas usually killed a few people in confined spaces and buildings. In contrast, in this attack, many people died outside. Furthermore, the victims exhibited pinpoint pupils, a sign of contact with nerve agents and sarin specifically.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/world/middleeast/syria-gas-attack.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=4 April 2017|access-date=4 April 2017|last1=Barnard|first1=Anne|last2=Gordon|first2=Michael R.|title=Worst Chemical Attack in Years in Syria; U.S. Blames Assad|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404204144/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/world/middleeast/syria-gas-attack.html|archive-date=4 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/sarin/basics/facts.asp|website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|date=18 November 2015|access-date=9 April 2017|title=Facts About Sarin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411013054/https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/sarin/basics/facts.asp|archive-date=11 April 2017|url-status=live}} Other symptoms reported included coldness in the extremities, decreased heart rate, and low blood pressure,{{cite web | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/syrian-activists-say-dozens-dead-in-idlib-chemical-attack-1491306761 | title=Dozens Dead in Syria Chemical Attack | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=4 April 2017 | access-date=5 April 2017 | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405001148/https://www.wsj.com/articles/syrian-activists-say-dozens-dead-in-idlib-chemical-attack-1491306761 | archive-date=5 April 2017 | url-status=live }} convulsions, foaming at the mouth or vomit, and respiratory paralysis. Some first responders became ill when they came into contact with the victims.

Rescue workers gathered soil and tissue samples and sent them to Western intelligence officials for analysis.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/russia-blames-syrian-rebels-for-devastating-chemical-attack-in-northern-town/2017/04/05/ba173c76-196a-11e7-8598-9a99da559f9e_story.html|title=World Health Organization: Syria chemical attack likely involved nerve agent|last1=Loveluck|first1=Louisa|date=5 April 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=5 April 2017|last2=Zakaria|first2=Zakaria|quote=...Tuesday’s assault was widely attributed to the Syrian government...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405094427/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/russia-blames-syrian-rebels-for-devastating-chemical-attack-in-northern-town/2017/04/05/ba173c76-196a-11e7-8598-9a99da559f9e_story.html|archive-date=5 April 2017|url-status=live}} On 6 April, the Turkish Ministry of Health, which had conducted tests on people transported to Turkey, said it had identified the chemical used in the attack as sarin, citing lung damage found in victims.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/world/middleeast/chemical-attack-syria.html|title=Banned Nerve Agent Sarin Used in Syria Chemical Attack, Turkey Says|date=6 April 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=6 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406161556/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/world/middleeast/chemical-attack-syria.html|archive-date=6 April 2017|url-status=live}} On 11 April, Turkish Minister of Health Recep Akdağ stated that isopropyl methylphosphonic acid—a known byproduct of sarin reacting with other compounds—was "identified in the blood and urine tests conducted on samples taken from the victims".{{cite news |title= Turkish Health Minister: Tangible evidence of sarin gas found in Syria's Idlib attack |url= http://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/turkish-health-minister-tangible-evidence-of-sarin-gas-found-in-syrias-idlib-attack-2641880 |work= Yeni Şafak |date= 11 April 2017 |access-date= 20 April 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170422033701/http://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/turkish-health-minister-tangible-evidence-of-sarin-gas-found-in-syrias-idlib-attack-2641880 |archive-date= 22 April 2017 |url-status= live }} Tests by British scientists of samples found at the scene indicated the chemical involved was "sarin or a sarin-like substance".{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39591476 |title=Theresa May: Syria 'highly likely' behind attack |work=BBC News |date=13 April 2017 |access-date=14 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414020724/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39591476 |archive-date=14 April 2017 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|url=http://www.politico.eu/article/uk-scientists-confirm-sarin-use-in-syria-chemical-attack-assad-russia-putin-trump/|title=UK scientists confirm sarin use in Syria chemical attack|date=2017-04-13|work=POLITICO|access-date=2017-04-15|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415203855/http://www.politico.eu/article/uk-scientists-confirm-sarin-use-in-syria-chemical-attack-assad-russia-putin-trump/|archive-date=15 April 2017|url-status=live}}

The Guardian's Kareem Shaheen, the first reporter from western media to visit the town after the attack, photographed the crater where the chemical weapon was reported to have hit an apparently abandoned warehouse and silos near the crater.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/06/the-dead-were-wherever-you-looked-inside-syrian-town-after-chemical-attack|title='The dead were wherever you looked': inside Syrian town after gas attack|last=Shaheen|first=Kareem|date=2017-04-06|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-04-12|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418030010/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/06/the-dead-were-wherever-you-looked-inside-syrian-town-after-chemical-attack|archive-date=18 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Lourdes|last=Garcia-Navarro|title=The View From The Site Of The Chemical Attack|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/04/09/523170045/the-view-from-the-site-of-the-chemical-attack|date=9 April 2017|publisher=NPR|access-date=15 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414162631/http://www.npr.org/2017/04/09/523170045/the-view-from-the-site-of-the-chemical-attack|archive-date=14 April 2017|url-status=live}}

Medical sources in Idlib in the immediate aftermath of the attack reported more than 58 people, including 11 children, were killed and over 300 were wounded. Test results of samples collected from ten of them indicated they had been exposed to sarin or a sarin-like substance.{{cite news|title=OPCW Director-General Shares Incontrovertible Laboratory Results Concluding Exposure to Sarin|url=https://www.opcw.org/news/article/opcw-director-general-shares-incontrovertible-laboratory-results-concluding-exposure-to-sarin/|publisher=OPCW|date=19 April 2017|access-date=20 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630013831/https://www.opcw.org/news/article/opcw-director-general-shares-incontrovertible-laboratory-results-concluding-exposure-to-sarin/|archive-date=30 June 2017|url-status=live}}

By 7:30 a.m. EEST 100 wounded people arrived at a local field hospital. The opposition minister of health, Mohamad Firas al-Jundi, said victims experienced suffocation, fluid in the lungs, foaming at the mouth, unconsciousness, spasm, and paralysis.

A few hours after the attack, a nearby clinic treating victims was hit by an airstrike, with reports that Russians bombed the hospital with the victims in an attempt to destroy the evidence.{{cite news|title=Donald Trump's foreign policy looks more normal than promised|url=https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21720625-two-big-caveats-donald-trumps-foreign-policy-looks-more-normal-promised|access-date=15 April 2017|newspaper=The Economist|date=15 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414224802/http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21720625-two-big-caveats-donald-trumps-foreign-policy-looks-more-normal-promised|archive-date=14 April 2017|url-status=live}} The area's largest hospital was bombed two days prior. According to Dr. Abdel Hay Tennari, who treated 22 victims of the attack, the symptoms of victims corresponded to symptoms of exposure to sarin. Patients who received pralidoxime, an antidote of sarin, reportedly stabilized their medical state in around an hour.{{cite web|url=https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/04/05/the-aftermath-of-an-alleged-chemical-weapon-attack-in-idlib|title=The Aftermath of an Alleged Chemical Weapon Attack in Idlib|work=News Deeply|first=Alexandra|last=Bradford|date=5 April 2017|access-date=6 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406225207/https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/04/05/the-aftermath-of-an-alleged-chemical-weapon-attack-in-idlib|archive-date=6 April 2017|url-status=live}} Médecins Sans Frontières visited Bab Al Hawa hospital where they determined symptoms consistent with sarin. They also visited other hospitals where victims were taken and reported, "that victims smelled of bleach, suggesting they had been exposed to chlorine." They concluded that the "reports strongly suggest that victims of the attack on Khan Sheikhoun were exposed to at least two different chemical agents."{{cite web|url=http://www.msf.org/en/article/syria-khan-sheikhoun-victims-have-symptoms-consistent-exposure-chemical-substances|title=Syria: Khan Sheikhoun victims have symptoms consistent with exposure to chemical substances|work=Médecins Sans Frontières|date=5 April 2017|access-date=4 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511010638/http://www.msf.org/en/article/syria-khan-sheikhoun-victims-have-symptoms-consistent-exposure-chemical-substances|archive-date=11 May 2017|url-status=live}}

On 5 April, local doctors and rescue workers at the scene said the number of dead had risen to 74, with 600 injured,{{cite web | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/death-toll-in-suspected-syria-gas-attack-rises-1491400000 | title=Death Toll in Suspected Syria Gas Attack Rises | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=5 April 2017 | access-date=5 April 2017 | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405152119/https://www.wsj.com/articles/death-toll-in-suspected-syria-gas-attack-rises-1491400000 | archive-date=5 April 2017 | url-status=live }} and later that day The Daily Telegraph reported 86 deaths, including 30 children, and noted the death toll was rising as so many had died in their homes and only taken to hospitals later. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and French Ambassador to the United Nations François Delattre said over 100 had died.{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/world/middleeast/syria-chemical-attack-un.html | title=U.N. Security Council Meets on Syrian Chemical Attack; Death Toll Over 100 | work=The New York Times | date=5 April 2017 | access-date=5 April 2017 | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405125702/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/world/middleeast/syria-chemical-attack-un.html | archive-date=5 April 2017 | url-status=live }} On 7 April, the opposition Idlib Health Directorate said 89 had died, 18 women and 33 children.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/SyriaCivilDef/status/850323422894850048|title=4th joint report between SCD & Idleb health directorate in regards to Khan Shaykhun chemical attack. 89 killed (33kids & 18wmn), 541 injuredpic.twitter.com/uR5Hgp402T|date=2017-04-07|website=@SyriaCivilDef|language=en|access-date=2019-03-12}} On 9 May 2017, a report from CNN said the attack killed 92 people in all.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/middleeast/syria-chemical-attack-ward/index.html |title=Gasping for life: Syria's war on children |first1=Clarissa |last1=Ward |first2=Waffa |last2=Munayyer |first3=Salma |last3=Abdelaziz |first4=Fiona |last4=Sibbett |work=CNN |date=9 May 2017 |access-date=17 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616083148/http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/middleeast/syria-chemical-attack-ward/index.html |archive-date=16 June 2017 |url-status=live }}

On 6 September 2017, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic concluded that a Syrian Air Force aircraft was responsible the sarin attack, saying "the Syrian air force used sarin in Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib, killing dozens, the majority of whom were women and children".{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-warcrimes/syrian-government-forces-used-chemical-weapons-more-than-two-dozen-times-u-n-idUSKCN1BH18W|title=Syrian government forces used chemical weapons more than two dozen times: U.N.|work=Reuters|first=Stephanie|last=Nebehay|date=6 September 2017|access-date=19 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223120945/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-warcrimes/syrian-government-forces-used-chemical-weapons-more-than-two-dozen-times-u-n-idUSKCN1BH18W|archive-date=23 December 2017|url-status=live}} It dismissed the Syrian and Russian claim that a bomb struck an opposition chemical weapons depot on the outskirts of the northern town as “fabricated”. The report found that a Sukhoi 22 jet, which is only flown by the Syrian airforce, had carried out four airstrikes at 6.45am on 4 April. Three bombs carried conventional explosives, but one, which struck a road, carried the deadly nerve agent, which was carried as far as 600 metres away on a gentle wind.

“Weather conditions at 6.45am on 4 April were ideal for delivering a chemical weapon,” the report said. “The wind speed was just over 3km/h, with no rain and practically no cloud cover. Under such conditions, the agent cloud would have drifted slowly downhill following the terrain features at the location.”{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/06/syrian-regime-dropped-sarin-on-rebel-held-town-in-april-un-confirms |title=Syrian regime dropped sarin on rebel-held town in April, UN confirms |work=The Guardian |date=6 September 2017 |access-date=15 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909181732/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/06/syrian-regime-dropped-sarin-on-rebel-held-town-in-april-un-confirms |archive-date=9 September 2019 |url-status=live }}

The Assad government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons, but the report said the Syrian government's version of events, that an unknown weapons depot had been hit, was “extremely unlikely”. It said sarin stored in such circumstances would have mostly burned off or been absorbed by rubble, and that there was no evidence of the building being contaminated.

A visit by The Guardian to Khan Sheikhun two days after the attack revealed that the site officials claimed had been hit had been empty for many months, and contained only animal feed and a volleyball net. Witnesses described the frantic aftermath of a series of airstrikes, which overwhelmed the limited capacity of local medics and rescue workers. This finding was confirmed in a report released on 26 October 2017 by the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism.

Many governments, such as the United States and some European countries{{cite web|url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/04/06-hr-declaration-idlib/|title=Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the alleged chemical attack in Idlib, Syria - Consilium|website=www.consilium.europa.eu|access-date=17 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419164857/http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/04/06-hr-declaration-idlib/|archive-date=19 April 2017|url-status=live}} and the Gulf Cooperation Council{{cite news|url=http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2601330&language=en|title=Kuwait, GCC states support US missile strike on Syrian base|date=7 April 2017|publisher=Kuwait News Agency|access-date=16 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416130324/http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2601330&language=en|archive-date=16 April 2017|url-status=live}} attributed the attack to the Syrian government.{{Cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-syria-chemical-weapons-20170406-story.html|title=Deadly nerve agent used in Syria attack was likely sarin, Turkish health ministry says|last=Loveluck|first=Louisa|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=2017-04-14|quote=...widely attributed to the Syrian government...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414125704/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-syria-chemical-weapons-20170406-story.html|archive-date=14 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Max|last=Greenwood|url=https://thehill.com/policy/international/328635-assad-syrian-governments-role-in-chemical-attacks-a-fabrication/|title=Assad: Chemical attacks '100 percent fabrication'|date=13 April 2017|work=The Hill|access-date=15 April 2017|quote=The U.S. launched a missile strike last week in response to the chemical attack, which Western powers have attributed to Assad's forces|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417072328/http://thehill.com/policy/international/328635-assad-syrian-governments-role-in-chemical-attacks-a-fabrication|archive-date=17 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Matthias von|last=Hein|url=http://www.dw.com/en/is-assad-to-blame-for-the-chemical-weapons-attack-in-syria/a-38330217|title=Is Assad to blame for the chemical weapons attack in Syria?|date=6 April 2017|publisher=Deutsche Welle|access-date=15 April 2017|quote=Western statements place blame at the feet of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, an accusation Damascus and Moscow contest|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415014021/http://www.dw.com/en/is-assad-to-blame-for-the-chemical-weapons-attack-in-syria/a-38330217|archive-date=15 April 2017|url-status=live}} According to investigation by Human Rights Watch, the attack was conducted by Syrian government forces from the air using Soviet-made KhAB-250 aerial bombs designed to deliver sarin.{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/05/01/syria-new-evidence-shows-pattern-nerve-agent-use|title=Syria: New Evidence Shows Pattern of Nerve-Agent Use. Government Enters Realm of Crimes against Humanity|publisher=Human Rights Watch|date=1 May 2017|access-date=3 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501201230/https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/05/01/syria-new-evidence-shows-pattern-nerve-agent-use|archive-date=1 May 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/05/01/death-chemicals/syrian-governments-widespread-and-systematic-use-chemical-weapons |title=Death by Chemicals: The Syrian Government's Widespread and Systematic Use of Chemical Weapons |first=Ole |last=Solvang |date=1 May 2017 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |access-date=12 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170725151604/https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/05/01/death-chemicals/syrian-governments-widespread-and-systematic-use-chemical-weapons |archive-date=25 July 2017 |url-status=live }} The investigative journalism website Bellingcat suggested Russia may have inadvertently provided evidence of the Syrian government's use of the M4000 chemical bomb.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2017/11/13/russia-accidentally-provide-best-evidence-syrian-governments-involvement-sarin-attacks/ |title=Did Russia Accidentally Provide the Best Evidence of the Syrian Government's Involvement in Sarin Attacks? |work=www.bellingcat.com |date=13 November 2017 |access-date=28 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614114234/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2017/11/13/russia-accidentally-provide-best-evidence-syrian-governments-involvement-sarin-attacks/ |archive-date=14 June 2018 |url-status=live }}Bellingcat, 24 September 2019 [https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2019/09/24/the-first-images-of-the-type-of-chemical-bomb-used-in-syrias-sarin-attacks/ type of chemical bomb used in syrias sarin attacks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924184731/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2019/09/24/the-first-images-of-the-type-of-chemical-bomb-used-in-syrias-sarin-attacks/ |date=24 September 2019 }} The Syrian government denied any involvement. Immediately following the attacks, Russia said the Syrian Air Force had struck Khan Shaykhun "between 11:30am and 12:30pm local time" on 4 April, but that the target had been "a large terrorist ammunition depot" on its eastern outskirts. "On the territory of the depot, there were workshops which produced chemical warfare munitions",{{cite news|last1=Dewan|first1=Angela|last2=Yan|first2=Holly|title=Survivors of Syrian attack describe chemical bombs falling from sky|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/05/middleeast/idlib-syria-attack/|access-date=5 April 2017|publisher=CNN|date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405170103/http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/05/middleeast/idlib-syria-attack/|archive-date=5 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Syria chemical 'attack': What we know|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39500947|access-date=5 April 2017|publisher=BBC|date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214134739/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39500947|archive-date=14 February 2018|url-status=live}} and following the OPCW conclusions, in October 2017, it strongly disputed the conclusion that the Syrian government was responsible.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} The UN Security Council session unanimously declared the need for an investigation of the chemical attack.{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/security-council-syria-attack-170406230140973.html|title=Security Council weighs options over Syria attack|work=Al Jazeera|date=8 April 2017|access-date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409110803/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/security-council-syria-attack-170406230140973.html|archive-date=9 April 2017|url-status=live}} According to an OPCW report,{{cite web |url=https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/Fact_Finding_Mission/s-1510-2017_e_.pdf |title=Report of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission in Syria regarding an alleged incident in Khan Shaykhun, Syrian Arab Republic April 2017 |date=29 June 2017 |access-date=12 July 2017 |author-link=Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704104606/https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/Fact_Finding_Mission/s-1510-2017_e_.pdf |archive-date=4 July 2017 |url-status=live }} an investigation into the attack was concluded and released on 29 June 2017, which confirmed the use of sarin gas, or a similar substance.{{cite web|url=https://www.opcw.org/news/article/media-brief-reported-use-of-chemical-weapons-southern-idlib-syria-4-april-2017/|title=Media Brief: Reported Use of Chemical Weapons, Southern Idlib, Syria, 4 April 2017|date=7 April 2017|publisher=OPCW|access-date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409201128/https://www.opcw.org/news/article/media-brief-reported-use-of-chemical-weapons-southern-idlib-syria-4-april-2017/|archive-date=9 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|first1=Matthew|last1=Chance|first2=Angela|last2=Dewan|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/06/middleeast/syria-idlib-chemical-attack/|title=Russia challenges Trump to say what he would do about Syria|date=7 April 2017|publisher=CNN|access-date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408205212/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/06/middleeast/syria-idlib-chemical-attack|archive-date=8 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/watchdog-sarin-khan-sheikhoun-attack-170630035811755.html|title=UN watchdog says sarin used in Khan Sheikhoun attack|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=30 June 2017|access-date=30 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630084829/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/watchdog-sarin-khan-sheikhoun-attack-170630035811755.html|archive-date=30 June 2017|url-status=live}}

{{Blockquote|text=The United Kingdom’s assessment is that it is almost certain that the Syrian Government was responsible for a sarin attack on Khan Shaykhun on 4 April. (...) There is no evidence to suggest that any party to the conflict in Syria, other than the Syrian Government, has access to a complex nerve agent such as sarin. We note that the FFM’s report refers to testimony from witnesses describing the presence of jets in the area at the time of the attack. Only the Syrian Air Force has the capability to launch a chemical weapons attack from aircraft, and it has already been condemned by this Council for having been found to have used chemical weapons, deployed from aircraft, on at least three occasions in 2014 and 2015.|sign=Sir Geoffrey Adams, UK Permanent Representative to the OPCW|source={{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/55th-special-session-of-opcw-executive-council|title=55th Special Session of OPCW Executive Council - GOV.UK|website=www.gov.uk|date=5 July 2017 |access-date=6 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705145113/https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/55th-special-session-of-opcw-executive-council|archive-date=5 July 2017|url-status=live}}}}

According to the Idlib Media Centre, the chemical agent had the characteristics of sarin. The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces accused the Syrian government and the Syrian Armed Forces of carrying out the attack and called for an immediate investigation by the United Nations Security Council. The opposition groups said the Syrian air force dropped chemical bombs on a civilian population.{{cite web|first=Scott|last=Ritter|author-link=Scott Ritter|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/syria-chemical-attack-al-qaeda-played-donald-trump_us_58ea226fe4b058f0a02fca4d|title=Wag The Dog — How Al Qaeda Played Donald Trump And The American Media|date=9 April 2017|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=9 April 2017|quote=No one disputes the fact that a Syrian air force SU-22 fighter-bomber conducted a bombing mission against a target in Khan Sheikhoun on the morning of April 4, 2017. The anti-regime activists in Khan Sheikhoun, however, have painted a narrative that has the Syrian air force dropping chemical bombs on a sleeping civilian population.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411220729/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/syria-chemical-attack-al-qaeda-played-donald-trump_us_58ea226fe4b058f0a02fca4d|archive-date=11 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Jerry|last=Smith|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/06/assad-syria-chemical-weapons-un-inspectors|title=If Assad has been hiding chemical weapons, we need to know|date=6 April 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=15 April 2017|quote=Two scenarios have emerged on the source of the gassing. Opposition groups claim that the area was subject to a chemical attack from the air. The US and its allies broadly support this assertion, laying the blame on the Assad regime. However, the Syrian government and Russia insist that the agent came from an opposition weapons’ storage dump.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415132152/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/06/assad-syria-chemical-weapons-un-inspectors|archive-date=15 April 2017|url-status=live}}

On the day of the attack, a Syrian government official told Reuters "the government does not and has not used chemical weapons, not in the past and not in the future."{{cite web|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gas-attack-kills-18-syrias-idlib-observatory-1708105490|title=Syria gas attack: Children among 58 reported killed in Idlib|work=Middle East Eye|date=4 April 2017|quote=On Tuesday, an unnamed official told the Reuters news agency that the government "does not and has not" used chemical weapons, "not in the past and not in the future".|access-date=4 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114073154/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gas-attack-kills-18-syrias-idlib-observatory-1708105490|archive-date=14 January 2019|url-status=live}} Later, the Russian Ministry of Defence reiterated the statement made by the Syrian Armed Forces, and said the attack on the ammunition depot took place between 11:30 and 12:30 EEST.{{cite news|url=http://www.iraqinews.com/arab-world-news/russia-says-syria-gas-incident-caused-rebels-chemical-arsenal/|title=Russia says Syria gas incident caused by rebels' own chemical arsenal|work=Iraqi News|agency=Reuters|date=5 April 2017|access-date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405071237/http://www.iraqinews.com/arab-world-news/russia-says-syria-gas-incident-caused-rebels-chemical-arsenal/|archive-date=5 April 2017|url-status=live}}

In a 13 April interview to AFP, President Assad said the attack is "100 per cent fabrication" by the United States "working hand-in-glove with the terrorists", intended to provide a pretext for the airstrike on the Shayrat Airbase.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/13/chemical-weapons-experts-sent-turkey-investigate-alleged-syrian/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_fb_tmg|title='Were the children dead at all?' Assad says Syria chemical attack '100 per cent fabrication'|work=The Telegraph|date=13 April 2017|access-date=5 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614170358/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/13/chemical-weapons-experts-sent-turkey-investigate-alleged-syrian/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_fb_tmg|archive-date=14 June 2018|url-status=live}}

The Russian government denied involvement in the chemical attack; Russia's Defence Ministry issued a statement saying the Russian Air Force had "not carried out any strikes near Khan Shaykhun of Idlib province",{{cite news|url=http://www.trtworld.com/mea/chemical-attack-in-idlib-draws-international-condemnation-329921|title=Chemical attack in Idlib draws international condemnationw|publisher=TRT World|date=4 April 2017|access-date=4 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010014645/http://www.trtworld.com/mea/chemical-attack-in-idlib-draws-international-condemnation-329921|archive-date=10 October 2017|url-status=live}} but said a Syrian aircraft did conduct an airstrike on a warehouse containing ammunition and equipment belonging to rebels near Khan Shaykhun, "yesterday, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m". The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was "premature to accuse the Syrian government of using chemical weapons in Idlib", and insist on full and impartial investigation.{{cite news|last1=Kerner|first1=Felix|last2=Scott|first2=Eugene|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/08/politics/tillerson-lavrove-syria-strike/|title=Tillerson, Russia's foreign minister discuss Syria strike|access-date=9 April 2017|publisher=CNN|date=8 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410051842/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/08/politics/tillerson-lavrove-syria-strike/|archive-date=10 April 2017|url-status=live}} Shortly after the attack Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the use of chemical weapons is a "dangerous and monstrous crime" and that Russia's support for Assad is not "unconditional". He also said he doubted information was based on "objective materials or evidence", and that only Syrian government can resist "terrorists on the ground."[https://www.rferl.org/a/pence-tillerson-call-on-russia-rethink-relationship-syria-president-assad-chemical-weapons-ban/28413390.html "West Keeps Pressure On Russia Over Suspected Syria Chemical Attack"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409115714/http://www.rferl.org/a/pence-tillerson-call-on-russia-rethink-relationship-syria-president-assad-chemical-weapons-ban/28413390.html |date=9 April 2017 }}. Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Liberty. 6 April 2017. Mikhail Ulyanov, head of the Russian delegation to UNGA First Committee and Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the MFA of Russia, stated on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly that Russia tended to 'more and more to opt for that version' that explained the event as a staged incident, and to doubt that it was the result of an air bomb strike.

Later, President Vladimir Putin said the attack could be a provocation, but that several versions were possible, and the UN should investigate the attack.{{cite news|url=http://time.com/4734440/vladimir-putin-rex-tillerson-russia-us/|title=Vladimir Putin Says the UN Should Investigate the Syria Chemical Weapons Attack|date=11 April 2017|publisher=TIME|access-date=12 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412174039/http://time.com/4734440/vladimir-putin-rex-tillerson-russia-us/|archive-date=12 April 2017|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://tass.com/politics/940875|title=Putin says chemical weapons incident in Syria's Idlib could be a provocation|date=12 April 2017|publisher=TASS|access-date=12 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414195235/http://tass.com/politics/940875|archive-date=14 April 2017|url-status=live}} On 11 April, Putin suggested the chemical attack was a false flag operation intended to discredit the Syrian government.

UK based Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins observed that Russian claims that a warehouse containing chemical weapons was bombed related to a raid carried out "two to three hours" after the first images of victims appeared. A statement made on the day of the attack by Major General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Defence was also criticised by Higgins' Bellingcat colleague Dan Kaszeta, a veteran of the US Army Reserve's Chemical Corps, who called it "an infantile argument", and by the anti-Kremlin Russian non-profit Conflict Intelligence Team.{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-explanation-for-syria-chemical-weapons-attack-2017-4|title=An 'infantile argument': Experts pour cold water on Russia's 'fanciful' explanation for Syrian gas attack |work=www.businessinsider.com |access-date=17 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111141710/http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-explanation-for-syria-chemical-weapons-attack-2017-4|archive-date=11 January 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/04/05/an-infantile-argument-experts-pour-cold-water-on-russias-fanciful-explanation-syrian-gas-attack/22027154/|title='An infantile argument': Experts shut down Russia's 'fanciful' explanation of Syrian chemical attack|work=AOL|access-date=17 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620111714/https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/04/05/an-infantile-argument-experts-pour-cold-water-on-russias-fanciful-explanation-syrian-gas-attack/22027154/|archive-date=20 June 2017|url-status=live}}

According to the US government, the Syrian government under Assad was behind the chemical attack, and Syrian jets carried out the bombing of a rebel stronghold. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was quoted as saying "Either Russia has been complicit or Russia has been simply incompetent".{{cite news|last1=Karl|first1=Jonathan|last2=Mallin|first2=Alexander|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tillerson-russia-complicit-incompetent-syria/story?id=46640880|title=Tillerson: Russia 'complicit' or 'incompetent' with Syria|access-date=9 April 2017|publisher=ABC News|date=7 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409014858/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tillerson-russia-complicit-incompetent-syria/story?id=46640880|archive-date=9 April 2017|url-status=live}} According to Tillerson, the U.S. appealed to Assad to cease the use of chemical weapons, and "[o]ther than that, there is no change to our military posture",{{cite news|first1=Nicki|last1=Rossoll|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/secretary-state-rex-tillerson-change-us-military-position/story?id=46674777|title=Secretary of State Rex Tillerson: 'No change' to US military position on Syria after strike|access-date=8 April 2017|publisher=ABC News|date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409014649/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/secretary-state-rex-tillerson-change-us-military-position/story?id=46674777|archive-date=9 April 2017|url-status=live}} with ISIS remaining the primary priority.{{cite news|first=Angela|last=Dewan|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/09/middleeast/syria-missile-strike-chemical-attack-aftermath/|title=US envoy Nikki Haley says Syria regime change is 'inevitable'|access-date=9 April 2017|publisher=CNN|date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409164335/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/09/middleeast/syria-missile-strike-chemical-attack-aftermath/|archive-date=9 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Max|last=Greenwood|url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/327980-tillerson-defeating-isis-first-priority/|title=Tillerson: Defeating ISIS 'first priority' in Syria|access-date=8 April 2017|work=The Hill|date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409194157/http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/327980-tillerson-defeating-isis-first-priority|archive-date=9 April 2017|url-status=live}}

President Donald Trump called the attack "reprehensible" and attributed it to the Syrian government, saying the act could not be ignored "by the civilized world" during his meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan.{{cite web |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2017/04/04/statement-president-donald-j-trump |title=Statement from President Donald J. Trump |date=4 April 2017 |via=National Archives |work=whitehouse.gov |access-date=7 April 2017 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/04/05/remarks-president-trump-and-his-majesty-king-abdullah-ii-jordan-joint |title=Remarks by President Trump and His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan in Joint Press Conference |publisher=The White House |date=5 April 2017 |access-date=7 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406232556/https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/04/05/remarks-president-trump-and-his-majesty-king-abdullah-ii-jordan-joint |archive-date=6 April 2017 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}Alexander Smith, [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/syria-chemical-attack-reportedly-kills-dozens-idlib-province-n742416 Syria Gas Attack Reportedly Kills Dozens in Idlib Province] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009175456/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/syria-chemical-attack-reportedly-kills-dozens-idlib-province-n742416 |date=9 October 2019 }}, NBC News (4 April 2017). Trump also blamed the attack on supposed failures of the administration of his predecessor, Barack Obama.Andrew Rafferty & Stacey Klein, [http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-white-house-pins-blame-syrian-attack-obama-n742581 Trump Pins Blame for Syrian Attack on Obama Administration] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126153722/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-white-house-pins-blame-syrian-attack-obama-n742581 |date=26 January 2018 }}, NBC News (4 April 2017). U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: "Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable."[https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/04/269460.htm Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827172321/https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/04/269460.htm |date=27 August 2017 }} (press release), United States Department of State (4 April 2017). US representative to the UN Nikki Haley has stated that, though before the chemical attack the US had not considered overthrowing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power a top US priority, it is now prominent among US priorities in the region. At the UN Security Council, Haley said "When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action",{{cite news|last1=Sengupta|first1=Somini|last2=Rick|first2=Gladstone|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/world/middleeast/syria-chemical-attack-un.html|title=Nikki Haley Says U.S. May 'Take Our Own Action' on Syrian Chemical Attack|date=5 April 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409033353/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/world/middleeast/syria-chemical-attack-un.html|archive-date=9 April 2017|url-status=live}} by it implying if the UN failed to hold Assad accountable for the use of chemical weapons on civilians, the US will.{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/un-ambassador-nikki-haley-says-us-prepared-to-do-more-after-syria-strike/|title=U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley warns U.S. "prepared to do more" after Syria strike|date=7 April 2017|newspaper=CBS News|access-date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408231101/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/un-ambassador-nikki-haley-says-us-prepared-to-do-more-after-syria-strike/|archive-date=8 April 2017|url-status=live}} CIA Director Mike Pompeo confirmed on Thursday 13 April that his agency concluded the Syrian government was responsible for the chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun. “We were good and fast,” Pompeo said.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-14/trump-s-morphed-from-spy-agency-critic-to-fan-cia-s-pompeo-says|title=Trump's Morphed From Spy Agency Critic to Fan, CIA's Pompeo Says|date=14 April 2017|publisher=Bloomberg|access-date=21 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422034811/https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-14/trump-s-morphed-from-spy-agency-critic-to-fan-cia-s-pompeo-says|archive-date=22 April 2017|url-status=live}} The top Democrat on the house intelligence committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, agreed that the Syrian government was responsible for the attack.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/04/07/522968631/democrat-rep-adam-schiff-responds-to-syria-airstrikes|title=Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff Responds To Syria Airstrikes|website=NPR.org|access-date=17 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415082127/http://www.npr.org/2017/04/07/522968631/democrat-rep-adam-schiff-responds-to-syria-airstrikes|archive-date=15 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/schiff-russia-absolutely-complicit-syrian-chemical-attack/story?id=46677669|title=Schiff says Russia is absolutely 'complicit' in Syrian chemical attack|date=9 April 2017|website=ABC News|access-date=17 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611022024/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/schiff-russia-absolutely-complicit-syrian-chemical-attack/story?id=46677669|archive-date=11 June 2017|url-status=live}}

A few members of Congress and former officials expressed skepticism, like Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard,{{Cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/07/politics/tulsi-gabbard-assad-chemical-weapons-blitzer-cnntv/|title=Rep. Tulsi Gabbard 'skeptical' that Assad regime behind gas attack|last=Manduley|first=Christina|date=2017-04-08|work=CNN|access-date=28 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412190121/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/07/politics/tulsi-gabbard-assad-chemical-weapons-blitzer-cnntv|archive-date=12 April 2017|url-status=live}} Republican Congressman Thomas Massie,{{Cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/05/politics/thomas-massie-syria-attack-not-assad/|title=Congressman: 'I don't think' Assad is behind Syria attack|last=Mueller|first=Eleanor|date=2017-04-05|work=CNN|access-date=19 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419192742/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/05/politics/thomas-massie-syria-attack-not-assad/|archive-date=19 April 2017|url-status=live}} and former Republican Congressman Ron Paul.{{cite web|title=Ron Paul: Are we far from World War III?|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/othervoices/ron-paul-are-we-far-from-world-war-iii/article_f974efbd-6000-5e6b-bf53-c0cfea02a450.html|website=Tulsa World|access-date=3 May 2017|date=13 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423091643/http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/othervoices/ron-paul-are-we-far-from-world-war-iii/article_f974efbd-6000-5e6b-bf53-c0cfea02a450.html|archive-date=23 April 2018|url-status=live}}

{{main|2017 Shayrat missile strike}}

File:USS Ross 2017 Shayrat strike 170407-N-FQ994-031.jpg towards the Shayrat Airbase]]

On the morning of 7 April 2017, 72 hours after the attack, the United States launched 59 cruise missiles on Shayrat Airbase, a Syrian airfield near Shayrat, believed to be the base for the aircraft that carried out the chemical attack.{{cite news|title=Syria war: US launches missile strikes following chemical 'attack'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39523654|publisher=BBC News|date=7 April 2017|access-date=22 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407022056/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39523654|archive-date=7 April 2017|url-status=live}} In contrast to the coalition's accidental air raid on Deir ez-Zor in 2016, this was both a unilateral action and the first intentional strike against the Syrian government.{{cite news|last1=Lamothe|first1=Dan|last2=Ryan|first2=Missy|last3=Gibbons-Neff|first3=Thomas|title=U.S. strikes Syrian military airfield in first direct assault on Bashar al-Assad's government|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-weighing-military-options-following-chemical-weapons-attack-in-syria/2017/04/06/0c59603a-1ae8-11e7-9887-1a5314b56a08_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|publisher=Nash Holdings LLC|access-date=7 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407024143/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-weighing-military-options-following-chemical-weapons-attack-in-syria/2017/04/06/0c59603a-1ae8-11e7-9887-1a5314b56a08_story.html|archive-date=7 April 2017|date=6 April 2017}}{{cite web|title=US warships launch cruise missile strike against Syrian airfield in retaliation for chemical attack|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-07/us-launches-cruise-missile-strike-on-syria/8425132|website=ABC News Australia|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=7 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407023424/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-07/us-launches-cruise-missile-strike-on-syria/8425132|archive-date=7 April 2017|date=7 April 2017}}

On 24 April 2017, the United States Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on 271 employees of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center for their alleged role in producing chemical weapons.{{cite web |first1=Jordan |last1=Fabian |first2=Sylvan |last2=Lane |url=https://thehill.com/policy/international/330241-us-sanctions-syria-for-chemical-weapons-attack/ |title=US sanctions Syria for chemical weapons attack |date=24 April 2017 |work=The Hill |access-date=27 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427114614/http://thehill.com/policy/international/330241-us-sanctions-syria-for-chemical-weapons-attack |archive-date=27 April 2017 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.dw.com/en/us-imposes-new-sanctions-on-syrian-officials-over-chemical-attack/a-38571869 |title=US imposes new sanctions on Syrian officials over chemical attack |publisher=Deutsche Welle |date=24 April 2017 |access-date=27 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426120542/http://www.dw.com/en/us-imposes-new-sanctions-on-syrian-officials-over-chemical-attack/a-38571869 |archive-date=26 April 2017 |url-status=live }}

Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "deeply disturbed" by reports of the Idlib chemical attack, noting that the use of chemical weapons is banned under international law.[https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56499 Syria: UN chief 'deeply disturbed' by reports of alleged chemical attack; OPCW investigating] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620055322/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56499 |date=20 June 2017 }}, UN News Centre (4 April 2016).

Federica Mogherini, the European Union's diplomatic chief, called the attack "awful" and said Bashar al-Assad's government bore "primary responsibility" for it.{{cite web|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/04/04/Syria-toxic-gas-attack-kills-civilians-in-Idlib-province.html|title=Assad regime responsible for 'awful' Syria 'chemical' attack: EU's Mogherini|publisher=Al Arabiya|date=4 April 2017|access-date=4 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019104520/http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/04/04/Syria-toxic-gas-attack-kills-civilians-in-Idlib-province.html|archive-date=19 October 2017|url-status=live}}

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) expressed "serious concern" and said its Fact-Finding Mission in Syria was "gathering and analysing information from all available sources."[https://www.opcw.org/news/article/opcw-press-release-on-allegations-of-chemical-weapons-use-in-southern-idlib-syria/ OPCW Press Release on Allegations of Chemical Weapons Use in Southern Idlib, Syria] www.opcw.org {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404234301/https://www.opcw.org/news/article/opcw-press-release-on-allegations-of-chemical-weapons-use-in-southern-idlib-syria/ |date=4 April 2017 }}, 4 April 2017. The following day, the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW, referring to the media reports, requested all member states of the Chemical Weapons Convention to share available information on what it described preliminary as "allegations of use of chemical weapons in the Khan Shaykhun area of Idlib province in the Syrian Arab Republic."Note verbale of the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW NV/ODG/209302/17 dated 5 April 2017 Amnesty International said the evidence points to an "air-launched chemical attack",{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/05/middleeast/idlib-syria-attack/|publisher=CNN|access-date=5 April 2017|date=5 April 2017|first1=Angela|last1=Dewan|first2=Kareem|last2=Khadder|first3=Holly|last3=Yan|title=Survivors of Syrian attack describe chemical bombs falling from sky|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405170103/http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/05/middleeast/idlib-syria-attack/|archive-date=5 April 2017|url-status=live}} while the World Health Organization said victims carried the signs of exposure to nerve agents. On 26 October, an investigative panel created by the UN Security Council said it was "confident" that Assad's air force was behind the chemical attack. Further, that the attack was possible because it drew from old Syrian stockpiles that Assad had vowed to destroy in 2013, indicating that Damascus has systematically cheated international inspectors for the past four years.[https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2017/10/27/opcw-un-jims-leaked-report-khan-sheikhoun-tells-us-russias-denials-syrias-sarin/ What the OPCW-UN JIM’s Leaked Report on Khan Sheikhoun Tells Us About Russia’s Denials and Syria’s Sarin] www.bellingcat.com 27 October 2017 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219031705/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2017/10/27/opcw-un-jims-leaked-report-khan-sheikhoun-tells-us-russias-denials-syrias-sarin/ |date=19 February 2018 }}

France called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council after the attack.[https://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-syria-france-idUSL5N1GF72L France wants U.N. Security Council meeting after suspected Syria chemical attack] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521012149/http://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-syria-france-idUSL5N1GF72L |date=21 May 2017 }}, Reuters (4 April 2017).Associated Press, [http://mainepublic.org/post/france-seeks-emergency-un-meeting-after-suspected-chemical-attack-syria#stream/0 France Seeks Emergency UN Meeting After Suspected Chemical Attack in Syria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404191902/http://mainepublic.org/post/france-seeks-emergency-un-meeting-after-suspected-chemical-attack-syria#stream/0 |date=4 April 2017 }}, Reuters (4 April 2017). France, Britain, and the United States (who are among the permanent members of the Security Council), circulated a draft to the council's 15 members condemning the attack in Syria and demanding a full investigation into it. The emergency closed-door meeting was set on 5 April in New York.[http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/syria/syria-chemical-attack-uk-france-us-demand-action-1.2006023 Syria chemical attack: UK, France, US demand action] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010014647/http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/syria/syria-chemical-attack-uk-france-us-demand-action-1.2006023 |date=10 October 2017 }}, Agence France-Presse (5 April 2017).Michelle Nichols, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-un-idUSKBN17623O?il=0 U.N. council to meet Wednesday on suspected Syria toxic gas attack] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616085229/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-un-idUSKBN17623O?il=0 |date=16 June 2017 }}, Reuters (4 April 2017). United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, serving as president of the Security Council for the month, announced there would not be a vote on a draft resolution to respond to the chemical weapons attack, but instead of one resolution by the U.S. and a second resolution by Russia, there was a third resolution unexpectedly submitted by Sweden and nine other non-permanent members. When the council concluded its meeting without conclusion on the morning of 6 April, the U.S. launched a missile strike.{{cite news|first=Richard|last=Roth|author-link=Richard Roth (journalist)|title=Inside the tense closed-door UN Security Council deliberations on Syria|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/10/politics/un-security-council-syria/|date=11 April 2017|publisher=CNN|access-date=11 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411220743/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/10/politics/un-security-council-syria/|archive-date=11 April 2017|url-status=live}} On 12 April, the proposed draft resolution was vetoed by Russia as it attributed blame to the Syrian government before any investigation had been undertaken.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}} This was the eighth time that Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution on Syria.Euan McKirdy, [http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/13/middleeast/russia-unsc-syria-resolutions/ 8 times Russia blocked a UN Security Council resolution on Syria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419200042/http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/13/middleeast/russia-unsc-syria-resolutions/ |date=19 April 2017 }}, CNN (13 April 2017).Somini Sengupta, [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/world/middleeast/united-nations-resolution-syria-russia-united-states.html Russia Vetoes U.N. Resolution Condemning Syria Chemical Attack] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418155218/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/world/middleeast/united-nations-resolution-syria-russia-united-states.html |date=18 April 2017 }}, New York Times (12 April 2017). Instead, on 20 April, Russia and Iran formally proposed to start an OPCW investigation (which was rejected as an investigation is already in progress){{Cite news|url=http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/chemical-weapons-watchdogs-rejects-russias-bid-for-new-syria-attack-probe|title=Chemical weapons watchdogs rejects Russia's bid for new Syria attack probe {{!}} The National|access-date=2017-05-04|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507222501/http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/chemical-weapons-watchdogs-rejects-russias-bid-for-new-syria-attack-probe|archive-date=7 May 2017|url-status=live}} and then on 26 April blocked UN resolution calling Syria to disclose information for the first OPCW investigation{{Cite news|url=https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2017-04-26/russia-attempts-to-block-investigation-chemical-attack-syria|title=Russia attempts to block the investigation into the chemical attack in Syria |work=www.osw.waw.pl |date=2017-04-26|access-date=2017-05-04|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827171446/https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2017-04-26/russia-attempts-to-block-investigation-chemical-attack-syria|archive-date=27 August 2017|url-status=live}} at the same accusing UN of "blocking independent international investigation" earlier proposed by Russia and Iran.{{Cite news|url=http://www.rusemb.org.uk/ambarticles/521|title=UK is blocking independent international investigation into Khan Sheikhoun incident (by Ambassador Yakovenko for RT)|work=Посольство России в Великобритании|access-date=2017-05-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827210117/https://www.rusemb.org.uk/ambarticles/521|archive-date=27 August 2017|url-status=live}}

On 26 April 2017, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said France had concluded that the Syrian government was "unquestionably" the perpetrator of the attack.{{cite news|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2017/04/26/97001-20170426FILWWW00100-damas-est-responsable-de-l-attaque-chimique-selon-l-enquete-francaise.php|title=Damas est responsable de l'attaque chimique, selon l'enquête française|date=26 April 2017|work=Le Figaro|access-date=26 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426115602/http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2017/04/26/97001-20170426FILWWW00100-damas-est-responsable-de-l-attaque-chimique-selon-l-enquete-francaise.php|archive-date=26 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://abc13.com/news/french-intelligence-says-syria-behind-deadly-sarin-gas-attack/1919947/|title=French intelligence says Syria behind deadly sarin gas attack|last=Masri|first=Lena|date=26 April 2017|work=ABC13|access-date=27 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429000644/http://abc13.com/news/french-intelligence-says-syria-behind-deadly-sarin-gas-attack/1919947/|archive-date=29 April 2017|url-status=live}} He added that the same mixture of sarin and hexamine had been used in the 2013 Saraqib chemical attack.

United Kingdom government defense minister, Michael Fallon said he believed the Syrian air force responsible for the attack. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said "There should now be an immediate ceasefire and a UN-led investigation rapidly into what is a horrific and totally illegal action by somebody using chemical weapons against innocent people."{{cite web|title=Jeremy Corbyn says US air strikes in Syria 'wrong'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39525952|website=BBC|access-date=3 May 2017|date=7 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511001902/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39525952|archive-date=11 May 2017|url-status=live}}

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry released a statement saying the "painful and unacceptable" images of the massacre reaffirm the necessity of reaching a political solution to end the crisis in Syria, in light of the international community decisions and Security Council Resolution 2254, as well as the Geneva Conventions.{{cite web|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/262349/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-strongly-condemns-indiscriminate-bombardment.aspx|title=Egypt strongly condemns 'indiscriminate bombardment' in Syria's Idlib|publisher=Ahram Online|access-date=7 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407215216/http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/262349/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-strongly-condemns-indiscriminate-bombardment.aspx|archive-date=7 April 2017|url-status=live}}

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for an "impartial international fact-finding body" to be set up to investigate the attack.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-iran-idUSKBN17A07I|title=Iran's Rouhani wants chemical attack in Syria investigated|date=2017-04-08|work=Reuters|access-date=2017-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711175948/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-iran-idUSKBN17A07I|archive-date=11 July 2017|url-status=live}} Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the incident as "very painful" and condemned it, but also criticized US for attacking the Syrian airbase "without doing investigation".{{Cite news|url=https://en.irna.ir/amp/82486261/|title=Zarif sees US missile attack very perilous fallacy|date=2017-04-08|work=IRNA|access-date=2023-01-17}} Iranian Foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi condemned "all use of chemical weapons," but suggested the blame for the attack lay with "terrorist groups" rather than the Syrian government.{{Cite news|url=http://punchng.com/iran-condemns-use-of-chemical-weapons-in-syria/|title=Iran condemns use of chemical weapons in Syria|work=Punch Newspapers|access-date=2017-04-18|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405160840/http://punchng.com/iran-condemns-use-of-chemical-weapons-in-syria/|archive-date=5 April 2017|url-status=live}}

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: "There are continuing questions ... about who is responsible for these horrible attacks against civilians, and that's why I'm impressing on the UN Security Council to pass a strong resolution that allows the international community to determine first of all who was responsible for these attacks and how we will move forward."{{cite web|last1=Greenwald|first1=Glenn|title=The Spoils of War: Trump Lavished With Media and Bipartisan Praise For Bombing Syria|url=https://theintercept.com/2017/04/07/the-spoils-of-war-trump-lavished-with-media-and-bipartisan-praise-for-bombing-syria/|website=The Intercept|date=7 April 2017|access-date=8 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408092450/https://theintercept.com/2017/04/07/the-spoils-of-war-trump-lavished-with-media-and-bipartisan-praise-for-bombing-syria/|archive-date=8 April 2017|url-status=live}} Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the international community "to fulfill its obligation from 2013 to fully and finally remove these horrible weapons from Syria".{{cite web|title=Israel condemns Syria chemical attack, calls it a 'stain' on humanity|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/world/syria-chemical-attack-israel-condemns-attack-calls-it-a-stain-on-humanity-4600624/|website=The Indian Express|access-date=5 April 2017|date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405115605/http://indianexpress.com/article/world/syria-chemical-attack-israel-condemns-attack-calls-it-a-stain-on-humanity-4600624/|archive-date=5 April 2017|url-status=live}} Other countries who condemned the chemical attack include the Czech Republic,{{cite web |url=http://praguemonitor.com/2017/04/06/prime-minister-sobotka-condemns-chemicals-attack-syria |title=PM Sobotka condemns chemicals attack in Syria |publisher=Praguemonitor.com |date=6 April 2017 |access-date=7 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406203218/http://www.praguemonitor.com/2017/04/06/prime-minister-sobotka-condemns-chemicals-attack-syria |archive-date=6 April 2017 |url-status=live }} Italy,{{cite news|title=Syrian chemical attack crime against humanity, says Italy|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/syrian-chemical-attack-crime-against-humanity-says-italy-117040401349_1.html|newspaper=Business Standard India|access-date=5 April 2017|date=4 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404211020/http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/syrian-chemical-attack-crime-against-humanity-says-italy-117040401349_1.html|archive-date=4 April 2017|url-status=live}} Pakistan,{{cite news|title=FO condemns use of chemical weapons in Syria, urges for peaceful resolution of conflict|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1325516/fo-condemns-use-of-chemical-weapons-in-syria-urges-for-peaceful-resolution-of-conflict|access-date=7 April 2017|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|date=7 April 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408022115/https://www.dawn.com/news/1325516/fo-condemns-use-of-chemical-weapons-in-syria-urges-for-peaceful-resolution-of-conflict|archive-date=8 April 2017|url-status=live}} Saudi Arabia,{{cite web|title=Saudi condemns chemical attack in Syria|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2017/04/05/Saudi-condemns-chemical-attack-in-Syria-.html|website=Al-Arabiya|access-date=5 April 2017|date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406111201/http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2017/04/05/Saudi-condemns-chemical-attack-in-Syria-.html|archive-date=6 April 2017|url-status=live}} Switzerland,{{cite web|title=Switzerland calls for truth behind Syria chemical attack|url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/condemnation_-switzerland-calls-for-truth-behind-syria-chemical-attack/43086314|website=Swiss Info|access-date=5 April 2017|date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405172354/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/condemnation_-switzerland-calls-for-truth-behind-syria-chemical-attack/43086314|archive-date=5 April 2017|url-status=live}} United Kingdom, and the Vatican City.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/mounting-confidence-nerve-gas-was-used-in-syria-attack-1.3355232?cache=yes%2Fdon-martin-1.816488%3FclipId%3D104070|title=Mounting confidence nerve gas was used in Syria attack |work=www.ctvnews.ca |date=5 April 2017}}

The Iraqi government condemned the chemical attack and called for an "initiative aimed at punishing those responsible". The next day, Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also condemned the attacks and called for President Assad to step down.{{cite web|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2017/Apr-08/401179-iraqs-shiite-cleric-sadr-urges-assad-to-step-down.ashx|title=Iraq's Shiite cleric Sadr urges Assad to step down|work=AFP|date=8 April 2017|access-date=8 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408153322/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2017/Apr-08/401179-iraqs-shiite-cleric-sadr-urges-assad-to-step-down.ashx|archive-date=8 April 2017|url-status=live}} Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said if al-Assad was found to be behind the attack, as the United States believe, it represented "a shocking war crime."{{cite web|last1=McIlroy|first1=Tom|title='A shocking war crime': Malcolm Turnbull condemns chemical weapons deaths in Syria|url=https://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/a-shocking-war-crime-malcolm-turnbull-condemns-chemical-weapons-deaths-in-syria-20170404-gvdvu0.html|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=6 April 2017|date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405074138/http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/a-shocking-war-crime-malcolm-turnbull-condemns-chemical-weapons-deaths-in-syria-20170404-gvdvu0.html|archive-date=5 April 2017|url-status=live}} Other countries who accused Assad for responsibility include Qatar{{cite web|last1=Khatri|first1=Shabina S.|title='Shame on humanity's silence' – Qatar condemns gas attack in Syria|url=https://dohanews.co/shame-on-humanitys-silence-qatar-condemns-gas-attack-in-syria/|website=Doha News|access-date=5 April 2017|date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405084224/https://dohanews.co/shame-on-humanitys-silence-qatar-condemns-gas-attack-in-syria/|archive-date=5 April 2017|url-status=dead}} and Turkey.{{cite web|url=https://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2017/04/04/no-syrians-will-be-left-to-decide-assads-fate-if-attacks-continue-fm-cavusoglu-says|title=No Syrians will be left to decide Assad's fate if attacks continue, FM Çavuşoğlu says|date=4 April 2017|work=Daily Sabah|access-date=4 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404190845/https://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2017/04/04/no-syrians-will-be-left-to-decide-assads-fate-if-attacks-continue-fm-cavusoglu-says|archive-date=4 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-condemns-syrias-gas-attack-urges-russia-over-astana-process-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=111589&NewsCatID=352|title=Turkey condemns Syria's gas attack, urges Russia over Astana process|location=Ankara|date=4 April 2017|work=Hürriyet Daily News|access-date=4 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404174636/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-condemns-syrias-gas-attack-urges-russia-over-astana-process-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=111589&NewsCatID=352|archive-date=4 April 2017|url-status=live}}

Former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Hans Blix, described the US retaliation as "measured" and specific,{{Cite news|url=http://www.dw.com/en/eu-urges-diplomacy-in-syria-as-ex-weapons-inspector-says-us-acted-without-proof/a-38345413|title=EU urges diplomacy in Syria as ex-weapons inspector says US acted without proof|last=Schultz|first=Teri|date=2017-04-07|work=Deutsche Welle|access-date=19 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419201316/http://www.dw.com/en/eu-urges-diplomacy-in-syria-as-ex-weapons-inspector-says-us-acted-without-proof/a-38345413|archive-date=19 April 2017|url-status=live}} but later criticized the rapid American military response.{{cite news|last1=Blix|first1=Hans|title=Hans Blix: Trump's Missile Attack Motivated By Domestic Politics|url=http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/articles_multimedia/trumps_missile_attack_motivated_domestic_politics|access-date=27 April 2017|work=www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk|agency=Oxford Research Group|date=11 April 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827171942/http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/articles_multimedia/trumps_missile_attack_motivated_domestic_politics|archive-date=27 August 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} First published in Utrikes Magasinet. He initially raised concern that the responsibility of the Syrian government was not yet proven, but stated on 11 April 2017, "On balance it seems probable that the attack with gas was undertaken by the Syrian government air force," adding that "the factual circumstances known so far do not point to the rebels as arranging the gas action".

Other people who have expressed skepticism of the Syrian government being responsible for the attack include former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/ex-weapons-inspector-trumps-sarin-claims-built-on-lie/|title=Ex-Weapons Inspector: Trump's Sarin Claims Built on 'Lie'|last=Ritter|first=Scott|date=2017-06-29|work=The American Conservative|access-date=30 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630084805/http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/ex-weapons-inspector-trumps-sarin-claims-built-on-lie/|archive-date=30 June 2017|url-status=live}} {{cite news |last1=Idrees Ahmad |first1=Muhammad |title=Syria and the case for editorial accountability |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2017/7/12/syria-and-the-case-for-editorial-accountability/ |access-date=19 December 2024 |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=12 July 2017}}{{Primary source inline|date=February 2021}} US based weapons expert and MIT professor emeritus Theodore Postol,{{cite web | title=Is Assad to blame for the chemical weapons attack in Syria? | website=DW.COM | url=https://www.dw.com/en/is-assad-to-blame-for-the-chemical-weapons-attack-in-syria/a-38330217 | date=6 April 2017|access-date=2022-03-17}}{{cite web | last=Bloomfield| first=Steve| title=Whatever happened to Seymour Hersh? | website=Prospect Magazine | date=2018-07-17 | url=https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/whatever-happened-to-seymour-hersh | access-date=2022-03-17}} former UK ambassador to Syria and director of the British Syrian Society Peter Ford,{{Citation|publisher=BBC News|title="Trump has just given jihadis a thousand reasons to stage fake flag operations"|date=2017-04-07|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LKsn4ZutxQ|access-date=2017-05-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419163558/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LKsn4ZutxQ|archive-date=19 April 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04zb6yv|title=Ex-UK ambassador to Syria: 'No proof' of chemical attack, Today - BBC Radio 4|website=BBC|date=7 April 2017 |access-date=2017-05-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409185007/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04zb6yv|archive-date=9 April 2017|url-status=live}} investigative Israeli journalist Uri Avneri,{{Cite web |url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/The-%27bizarre-case%27-of-Bashar-al-Assad-and-nerve-gas-41232.html |title=The 'bizarre case' of Bashar al-Assad and nerve gas |work=Vatican - Asianews |access-date=2017-07-09 |archive-date=13 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713191353/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/The-%27bizarre-case%27-of-Bashar-al-Assad-and-nerve-gas-41232.html |url-status=dead }}{{Primary source inline|date=February 2021}} and investigative journalist Seymour Hersh.{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article165905578/Trump-s-Red-Line.html|title=Syria: Trump's Red Line - WELT|website=DIE WELT|date=24 June 2017|access-date=2017-07-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629052440/https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article165905578/Trump-s-Red-Line.html|archive-date=29 June 2017|url-status=live|last1=Hersh|first1=Seymour M.}}{{cite web | title=Will Get Fooled Again - Seymour Hersh, Welt, and the Khan Sheikhoun Chemical Attack | website=bellingcat | date=2017-06-25 | url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2017/06/25/will-get-fooled-seymour-hersh-welt-khan-sheikhoun-chemical-attack/ | access-date=2022-03-17}} The OPCW-UN JIM report found no merit in any of these views and concluded that the sarin used in the attack bore the Syrian government's signature; "the Leadership Panel is confident that the Syrian Arab Republic is responsible for the release of sarin at Khan Shaykhun on 4 April 2017".{{Cite web |url=https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/s_2017_904.pdf |title=S/2017/904 securitycouncilreport |access-date=16 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823155042/https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/s_2017_904.pdf |archive-date=23 August 2019 |url-status=live }}

In 2019, the Princeton University-linked journal Science & Global Security, on whose editorial board Ted Postol sat,al-bab.com Brian Whitaker, [https://al-bab.com/blog/2019/10/mit-professor-postol-resigns-science-journal-spat-over-article-syria postol resigns] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017175549/https://al-bab.com/blog/2019/10/mit-professor-postol-resigns-science-journal-spat-over-article-syria |date=17 October 2019 }} intended to publish a paper titled "Computational Forensic Analysis for the Chemical Weapons Attack at Khan Sheikhoun on 4 April 2017" written by Goong Chen, Cong Gu, Postol, Alexey Sergeev, Sanyang Liu, Pengfei Yao and Marlan O. Scully. The article questioned the findings of the UN/OPCW investigation which concluded that the Syrian government had used sarin.{{Cite web|url=http://scienceandglobalsecurity.org/editorial/2019/09/from_the_editors.html|title=From the Editors - From the Editors|website=scienceandglobalsecurity.org|access-date=2019-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925120713/http://scienceandglobalsecurity.org/editorial/2019/09/from_the_editors.html|archive-date=25 September 2019|url-status=live}} The report's arguments were rebutted in a Bellingcat article that detailed inconsistencies and anomalies in the report's analysis.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2019/09/13/simulations-craters-and-lies-postols-latest-attempt-to-undermine-the-last-vestiges-of-his-reputation/|title=Simulations, Craters and Lies: Postol's Latest Attempt to Undermine the Last Vestiges of his Reputation|date=2019-09-13|website=bellingcat|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915200041/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2019/09/13/simulations-craters-and-lies-postols-latest-attempt-to-undermine-the-last-vestiges-of-his-reputation/|archive-date=15 September 2019|url-status=live}} In response to the Bellingcat article, the editors of Science & Global Security said “Regrettably, the Bellingcat group blog post contains a number of incorrect statements about the contents and conclusions of the paper to be published. Some of the statements appear to refer to an earlier manuscript and do not take account of all the changes made during the peer review and editorial process managed by this journal”. The journal later decided not to publish the paper.{{Cite web|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/scientists-clash-over-paper-questions-syrian-government-s-role-sarin-attack|title=Scientists clash over paper that questions Syrian government's role in sarin attack|last1=Kupferschmidt|first1=Kai|date=2019-09-24|website=Science {{!}} AAAS|language=en|access-date=2019-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191120005837/https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/09/scientists-clash-over-paper-questions-syrian-government-s-role-sarin-attack|archive-date=20 November 2019|url-status=live}}

==See also==

{{Portal|Asia}}

• List of massacres during the Syrian Civil War
• Syria and weapons of mass destruction
• Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Civil War

{{Reflist}}

{{Syrian civil war}}

{{Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Civil War}}

Category:April 2017 in Syria

Category:Idlib Governorate in the Syrian civil war

Category:Military operations of the Syrian civil war in 2017

Category:Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving chemical weapons

Category:Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Syrian government

Category:Maarat al-Numan District

Category:Attacks on hospitals during the Syrian civil war