The United States has condemned the chemical weapons attack took place in Idlib province, Syria Tuesday, demanding a "genuine" ceasefire in the war-torn country, in a statement issued by U.S. Department of State on 4 April. Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson called on the allies of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, including Russia and Iran, that they "should have no illusions about him or his intentions." "The United States strongly condemns the chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, the third allegation of the use of such weapons in the past month alone," the statement read, describing Assad's military operations as "brutal, unabashed barbarism." The Assad regime has been accused of using chemical weapons against rebels and civilians in Khan Shaikoun, killing at least 72 people, including 20 children on Tuesday, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Photos of children with foam coming out of their mouths went viral on social media, which caused wide outrage across the world. The Syrian government denied using such criminalized weapons against its own people, while the UN Security Council held an urgent meeting, where the U.S., Britain, France demanded a comprehensive investigation into the attack. Russia defended Damascus, saying the text was "categorically unacceptable." "The chemical attack against Syrian civilians crossed a lot of lines for me, and changed the way I view Syria and leader Bashar al-Assad," President Donald Trump described the recent crisis during a joint press conference with King Abdullah of Jordan on Wednesday. "I now have responsibility, and I will have that responsibility and carry it very proudly," Trump said responding to a question about the White House's statement, released on Tuesday, which partially blamed President Barack Obama for the attack. "Yesterday's chemical attack, a chemical attack that was so horrific in Syria against innocent people, including women, small children and even beautiful little babies, their deaths were an affront to humanity," he said. "These heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerated. The United States stands with its allies across the globe to condemn this horrific attack and all other horrific attacks, for that matter." "It is also clear that this horrific conflict, now in its seventh year, demands a genuine ceasefire and the supporters of the armed combatants in the region need to ensure compliance," U.S. State of Department said in a statement. "We call upon Russia and Iran, yet again, to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again. As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths," the statement added.
