Douma chemical attack
| Douma chemical attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Rif Dimashq offensive (February–April 2018), Siege of Eastern Ghouta, Syrian civil war | |
| Type | Chemical warfare, airstrike |
| Location | 33°34′16″N 36°24′17″E / 33.57111°N 36.40472°E |
| Date | 7 April 2018 19:30 (UTC+03:00) |
| Executed by | |
| Outcome | US, UK, France launch retaliatory missile strikes |
| Casualties | 41–49 reported killed 100–650 injured |
Douma Location of Douma within Syria | |
On 7 April 2018, a chemical warfare attack was launched in the city of Douma, Syria by the military of the Ba'athist regime led by Bashar al-Assad. Medics and witnesses reported that it caused the deaths of between 40 and 50 people and injuries to possibly well over 100. The attack was attributed to the Syrian Army by rebel forces in Douma, and by the United States, British, and French governments. A two-year long investigation by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) concluded in January 2023 that the Syrian Air Force perpetrated the attack, dropping two cylinders, one of which hit the rooftop floor of a three-storey residential building and released chlorine gas. On 14 April 2018, the United States, France and the United Kingdom carried out a series of military strikes against two alleged chemical weapons facilities of the Syrian government.