At least 40 people were killed when missiles struck an air base in central Syria early Monday, according to the state-run news agency. The agency said that it was likely “an American aggression,” but so far, U.S. officials are denying that they launched any airstrikes on Syria. The dead included families found in their homes and shelters. According to the Associated Press, the missile attack followed a suspected poison gas attack on Saturday that took place in the last remaining foothold for the Syrian opposition in the suburbs of Damascus. First responders entering apartments found bodies collapsed on floors, AP reports, and some were foaming at the mouth. After the attack, President Donald Trump had promised a “big price to pay” for the suspected chemical attack. Last year, the U.S. launched several dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase after a chemical attack in the northern Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun killed dozens of people. The recent suspected poison gas attack on Saturday on Douma came almost exactly a year after the U.S. missile attack prompted by the Khan Sheikhoun deaths.
Syria denies ever using chemical weapons during the war and says it eliminated its chemical arsenal under a 2013 agreement brokered by the U.S. and Russia.
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