Seven chemical weapons attacks in Syria over the past five years.

1. August 2013

Bodies of those killed in the Syrian chemical weapons attack on August 21, 2013.

This attack occurred after a series of explosions during the night. Rebel groups claimed that missiles carrying chemical weapons struck the towns of Ain Tarma, Zamalka, Jobar, and Muadamiya in Syria.

Numerous photographs and videos have shown hundreds of bodies. The victims all exhibited symptoms such as vomiting, excessive drooling, difficulty breathing, and shivering.

The poison is believed to be a mixture of the nerve agent sarin and other substances. Rebel fighters also circulated photographs of rockets containing chemical weapons, which they said were used in the attack.

The 2013 attack killed more than 1,400 people and shocked the entire world.

2. April 2014

Syrian citizens are receiving medical assistance after allegedly being exposed to toxic gas.

An attack on the village of Kfar Zeita in Hama province (Syria) has left many people hospitalized, and both Syrian media and anti-government groups say that poison gas was used in the village.

According to anti-government forces, Syrian army helicopters dropped improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the village, causing the release of chlorine gas. The Syrian government attributes the attack to the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) issued a statement saying they had evidence that chlorine gas had been used repeatedly in Syria. Another United Nations report also stated that several chlorine gas attacks took place in April and May of that year.

3. May 2015

A chemical weapons cache has been found in Syria. (Image caption: Nowtheendbegins)

In the spring of 2015, two years after President Assad agreed to destroy his chemical weapons stockpile, the Syrian town of Sarmeen was attacked again with chlorine gas. The toxic substance was believed to have been stored in barrels and exploded when dropped from above. The gas immediately injured the victims' trachea and, in some cases, caused suffocation due to fluid buildup in the lungs.

The UN Security Council subsequently introduced a bill to establish a special committee to determine which side had used chlorine gas as a lethal weapon. Meanwhile, Syria asserted that this was propaganda aimed at discrediting them.

4. August 2015

A Syrian teenager was found to have been exposed to mustard gas. Photo: Reuters.

In August 2015, the Syrian-American Medical Association, a humanitarian organization, reported that it had received more than 50 patients, 23 of whom showed symptoms of chemical exposure. Some had blisters on their skin from a mustard gas attack in the city of Marea, and a United Nations report claimed the terrorist organization ISIS was responsible.

5. September 2016

The victims experienced symptoms of suffocation after inhaling toxic fumes from the attack. Photo: RT

Another chemical attack occurred in 2016, killing at least two people, when containers of gas were allegedly dropped in an area of ​​Aleppo (Syria). Although the use of chlorine gas as a weapon is banned, it is not on the Syrian government's list of toxic substances to be destroyed due to its numerous civilian applications.

6. April 2017

Image of a victim of the suspected chemical weapons attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, Syria, in April 2017. Photo: Indian Express.

Dozens of people, including women and children, were killed and hundreds more injured on April 4, 2017, in Khan Sheikhoun in northern Syria.

The Turkish Ministry of Health released an initial investigation report indicating that the nerve agent sarin was found in blood and urine samples from victims evacuated to Türkiye. In response, US President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike using 59 Tomahawk missiles on the Syrian military base at al-Shairat.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he doubted the attack had occurred and that the Syrian government did not possess chemical weapons, but rather terrorist forces fighting against Assad's side.

7. April 2018

Many people suffocated in their homes and shelters in Douma. Photo: Twitter/White Helmets

Dozens were tragically killed and hundreds injured in what is believed to be a chemical weapons attack in Syria on April 7.

The BBC, citing sources from the White Helmets and local rescue groups, reported that the attack left at least 70 people "suffocated" and hundreds more injured in Douma, a suburb of Damascus in the East Ghouta region.

According to the BBC, another group, the Ghouta Medical Center, described a helicopter dropping a barrel bomb containing Sarin nerve gas on Douma.

Some images and videos posted on social media showed dozens of civilians dead with white foam filling their mouths and noses. Some videos showed women and young children dead in rooms. Estimates of the death toll ranged from 40 to over 150 people.