Sen. John McCain partially blamed President Donald Trump for a suspected poison gas attack in Syria over the weekend, saying his desire to “prematurely” withdraw U.S. troops from the country gave Syrian President Bashar al-Assad confidence to strike civilians with chemical weapons.

“President Trump last week signaled to the world that the United States would prematurely withdraw from Syria,” the Arizona Republican said Sunday in a statement. “Bashar Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers have heard him, and emboldened by American inaction, Assad has reportedly launched another chemical attack against innocent men, women and children, this time in Douma.”

McCain, who has long argued the U.S. should do more to oust Assad, challenged Trump to repeat his response to a similar chemical attack in April 2017, when he ordered a cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base.

“The question now is whether he will do anything about it,” McCain said of Trump, calling for a strike on Syria to “demonstrate that Assad will pay a price for his war crimes.”

At least 40 people were killed and hundreds more injured Saturday in a suspected chemical attack that struck the town of Douma in the besieged Eastern Ghouta enclave near Damascus, according to rescuers and opposition groups.

The attack came as Syrian government forces sought to finish off an eight-week offensive against Douma — the last stronghold the Jaish al-Islam group’s Islamist rebels controlled.

More than 1,700 people have been killed in the eastern Ghouta since February, when the Syrian army and allied Russian forces initiated a brutal assault to oust rebel fighters from the area.

The fighting has caused a mass displacement of civilians as well: More than 130,000 Syrians have left eastern Ghouta through evacuation agreements between rebels and the government, according to the U.N.

Though it would not be the first time the Assad regime used chemical weapons against civilians, Saturday’s attack raised new questions for the future of the U.S. military intervention in Syria.

Trump has been deeply skeptical of a long-term presence there, but influential voices inside and outside the government are calling on the president to change his mind.

Last week, Trump told his top advisers he wanted to maintain a focus on the core mission of defeating the remnants of the Islamic State, after which U.S. troops would come home within six months.

Trump’s national security staff pushed back, arguing a long-term U.S. military presence in Syria is needed to prevent the Islamic State group from reconstituting itself and block Iran’s ambitions in the region.

Most of the Washington foreign policy establishment and the national media agree, with editorials in The New York Times and Washington Post arguing against an expedited withdrawal of the 2,000 American troops currently deployed to Syria.

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Foreign governments are also pressuring Trump to deepen U.S. involvement in the Syrian conflict. The U.S. should stay there for “at least the mid-term, if not the long-term,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said during a stateside tour last week.

Israel has also criticized Trump’s Syria policy, saying it has failed to stop Iran from infiltrating military assets in Syrian territory. Following Saturday’s attack, top Israeli officials called for direct U.S. military action against the Assad regime.

A version of this article previously appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>As President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that there would be a “big price to pay” for Saturday’s chemical attack in Syria, one adviser warned that the U.S. had many options to consider as it develops its response.

“I wouldn’t take anything off the table,” White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Last April, Trump launched a missile strike after Syria used chemical weapons against a rebel-held village.

“We’ve seen the photos of that attack. I think — I mean, first, I would note the timing of this, it’s the first thing that struck me, this is the one year anniversary of our action the last time they made the mistake of using these weapons and pushing the rest of the world,” Bossert said.

“This isn’t just the United States, this is one of those issues on which every nation, all peoples have all agreed and have agreed since World War II, is an unacceptable practice,” he said, calling images of dead children from the village of Douma “horrible photos.”

Trump tweeted his outrage at the attack, which left at least 42 people dead.

“Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!” he tweeted.

Trump also noted that the Syrian crisis was kicked down the road by his predecessor.

“If President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago! Animal Assad would have been history!” Trump tweeted.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called upon Trump to follow the tough talk of his tweet with firm action.

” … it’s a defining moment in his presidency, because he has challenged Assad in the past not to use chemical weapons,” Graham said during his appearance on “This Week.”

“We had a one-and-done missile attack. So Assad is at it again,” he added. “They see us, our resolve, breaking. They see our determination to stay in Syria waning. And it’s no accident they used chemical weapons.

“But President Trump can reset the table here. To me, I would destroy Assad’s air force. I would create safe zones in Syria where people can come back to their country from the surrounding area and live a better life. Train up Syrians to take on Assad so we can negotiate in Geneva from a position of strength,” Graham said.

Graham said the president’s response would be watched by others around the world.

“If it becomes a tweet without meaning, then he has hurt himself in North Korea,” Graham said. “If he doesn’t follow through and live up to that tweet, he’s going to look weak in the eyes of Russia and Iran. So this is a defining moment, Mr. President. You need to follow through with that tweet. Show a resolve that Obama never did to get this right.”

Syria and its supporters denied that Assad’s government was responsible for the chemical weapons attack, according to The Washington Post.

“Such allegations and accusations by the Americans and certain Western countries signal a new conspiracy against the Syrian government and people, and a pretext for military action,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The State Department, however, left no room for doubt where it places the blame, The New York Times reported.

“The Assad regime and its backers must be held accountable, and any further attacks prevented immediately,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

“The United States calls on Russia to end this unmitigated support immediately and work with the international community to prevent further, barbaric chemical weapons attacks,” Nauert said.

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>Raising the possibility of a U.S. military strike, President Donald Trump on Monday condemned the latest apparent chemical weapons attack in Syria, telling reporters that he would soon meet with Pentagon leaders on the U.S. response.

“Nothing is off the table,” the President said flatly when asked about U.S. military action.

Reports from the Syrian opposition indicate around 40 people were killed in the chemical attack, which took place in the suburbs of Damascus, the Syrian capital.

“It was an atrocious attack, it was horrible,” Mr. Trump said. “You don’t see things like that – as bad as the news is around the world – you just don’t see those images.

A chemical weapons attack tied to the Syrian government almost exactly one year ago drew a U.S. military response, as the President ordered a series of cruise missile strikes, which struck a Syrian military air base.

“We are meeting with our military,” the President said about this latest attack, promising “we’ll be making some major decisions over the n next 24 to 48 hours.”

“We’re talking about humanity,” Mr. Trump said. “It can’t be allowed to happen.”

The President also again sent a strong message to Moscow, which has been accused of allowing Syria to use chemical weapons in the past.

“If it’s Russia, if it’s Syria, if it’s Iran – if it’s all of them together, we’ll figure it out,” the President said.

Mr. Trump was asked directly if Russian leader Vladimir Putin bears responsibility for the attack.

Mr. Trump, who has gone out of his way at times to avoid direct criticism of Russia and Putin, using a weekend tweet to point the finger directly at Moscow.

“President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad,” Mr. Trump said of the Syrian leader.

On Capitol Hill, members of both parties denounced the latest chemical attack.

“The administration must now make Assad, Putin and Iran pay a significant price for continuing to kill innocent civilians in Syria,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN).

“Russia's willful intransigence allows the Assad regime to commit acts of unspeakable terror on their own citizens,” said Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN).

There were other major foreign policy items discussed by the President in his photo op with reporters before Monday’s Cabinet meeting, as Mr. Trump said planning continues on a summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.</s>Dozens of Syrians were killed Saturday in a chemical attack thought to have been initiated by President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

According to The New York Times, the chemical attack struck the suburb of Douma, just east of Damascus, a location where numerous rebels were suspected to be hiding.

President Donald Trump echoed sentiments of other aid groups Sunday as he called out Assad — and other notable figures — for the attack.

“Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world.”

“President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Aimal Assad,” he added. “Big price to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!”

In the aftermath of the attack, large groups of patients — many of them children — could be seen with burning eyes and breathing problems as they rushed to medical aid.

Other Western governments have also condemned the attack, with the British Foreign Office calling for an immediate investigation, adding that any evidence of chemical weapons “is further proof of Assad’s brutality.”

“The Assad regime and its backers must be held accountable, and any further attacks prevented immediately,” Nauert said in a statement.

“The United States calls on Russia to end this unmitigated support immediately and work with the international community to prevent further barbaric chemical weapons attacks,” she added.

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The U.S. is still verifying whether or not a chemical weapon had been used, as such an attack would create issues with Trump’s recent statement claiming the U.S. will be leaving Syria “very soon.”

Trump also took a jab at former President Barack Obama, claiming he should have “crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand” instead of declining any military intervention after evidence was found that the Syrian government had gassed its own citizens.

Rescue workers have reported at least 42 victims were found dead in their homes from suffocation, with other anti-government activists circulating video footage of the wreckage and bodies with white foam leaking from their mouths and nostrils.

Syria has denied any involvement in using chemical weapons and has gone so far as to blame Islamist rebel group Army of Islam, which controls the area, as fabricating the video to receive international support.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates the Syrian government, along with allies Russia and Iran, has effectively driven out thousands and killed more than 1,600 in its vow to retake the land from rebel groups.

Just a day before the attack, Lebanese reporter Hussein Mortada released a video of himself standing on a hill overlooking Douma as smoke in the background could be seen from other government attacks.

“These are appetizers,” said Mortada, who also supports the Syrian government. “The story is bigger than a ground invasion. There is something they will see today if the story continues. They will feel something very strong.”

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Sunday condemned a “mindless CHEMICAL attack” in Syria that killed women and children, called Syrian President Bashar Assad an “animal” and delivered a rare personal criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin for supporting the Damascus government.

As Washington worked to verify the claim by Syrian opposition activists and rescuers that poison gas was used, President Trump said there would be a “big price to pay” for resorting to outlawed weapons of mass destruction. A top White House aide, asked about the possibility of a U.S. missile strike in response, said, “I wouldn’t take anything off the table.”

Just over a year ago, President Trump ordered dozens of cruise missiles to be fired at a Syrian air base after declaring there was no doubt Assad had “choked out the lives of helpless” civilians in an attack that used banned gases. White House advisers said at the time that images of hurt children helped spur the president to launch that air strike, and television new shows on Sunday aired similar depictions of suffering young Syrians.

“Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria,” President Trump tweeted. “Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!”

Saturday’s attack took place in a rebel-held town near Damascus amid a resumed offensive by Syrian government forces after the collapse of a truce. Syrian activists, rescuers and medics said a poison gas attack in Douma killed at least 40 people, with families found suffocated in their houses and shelters. The reports could not immediately be independently verified.

The developments come as President Trump has moved to dramatically scale back U.S. goals in Syria, pushing for a quick military withdrawal despite resistance from many of his national security advisers. President Trump has given no formal order to pull out the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria or offered a public timetable other than to say the U.S. will withdraw as soon as the remaining Islamic State fighters can be vanquished.

But President Trump has signaled to his advisers that, ideally, he wants all troops out within six months.

Images released by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, a volunteer organization, show children lying on the ground motionless and foaming at the mouth. The Assad government, in a statement posted on the state-run news agency SANA, denied responsibility.

President Trump was briefed about the attack by his chief of staff, John Kelly, officials said. President Trump’s homeland security adviser, Thomas Bossert, noted the timing of the suspected chemical attack — almost a year to the day of the U.S. missile strikes.

“This isn’t just the United States. This is one of those issues on which every nation, all peoples, have all agreed and have agreed since World War II, it’s an unacceptable practice,” Bossert said.

Asked about the potential for an American missile strike in response, Bossert said: “I wouldn’t take anything off the table. These are horrible photos. We’re looking into the attack at this point.”

President Trump was to meet with his senior military leadership on Monday, the same day his new national security adviser, John Bolton, assumes his post. Bolton has previously advocated significant airstrikes against Syria.

Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday deemed it a “likely chemical attack” and reiterated Trump’s threat that consequences would be coming for those responsible.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the assault on innocent lives, including children,” Pence tweeted. “The Assad regime & its backers MUST END their barbaric behavior.”

President Trump’s decision to single out Putin in a tweet appeared noteworthy because President Trump long has been reluctant to personally criticize the Russian leader. Even as the White House, after some delay, imposed tough new sanctions on Russia in the wake of its U.S. election meddling and suspected poisoning of a former spy on British soil, President Trump left it to others in his administration to deliver the rebukes to Moscow.

Last month, President Trump called Putin and, against the counsel of his advisers, congratulated the Russian president on his re-election and invited him to the White House. On Sunday, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, urged President Trump to “ramp up the pressure and the sanctions on the Russian government, because, without the support of Russia, I do not believe that Assad would still be in office.”

President Trump also invoked Iran in his series of tweets, further challenging Tehran while signaling he may scuttle its nuclear deal with the West. The president has often laid some blame on his predecessor, Barack Obama, for Assad’s continued grip on power after years of civil war.

Obama said in 2012 that Syria’s use of chemical weapons would be a “red line” that would change his decision-making on intervening in the war and have “enormous consequences.” After such an attack in 2013 killed hundreds outside Damascus, American ships in the Mediterranean were poised to launch missiles. But Obama pulled back after key U.S. ally Britain, as well as Congress, balked.

He opted for a Russian-backed proposal that was supposed to remove and eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles.

“If President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago! Animal Assad would have been history!” President Trump tweeted from the White House.

Questions about the administration’s possible response reverberated throughout Washington in the hours after the attack.

“It’s a defining moment in his presidency” that comes as Assad sees the U.S. “determination to stay in Syria waning,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,

“If he doesn’t follow through and live up to that tweet, he’s going to look weak in the eyes of Russia and Iran,” Graham said. “You need to follow through with that tweet. Show a resolve that Obama never did to get this right.”

Graham and Bossert were on ABC’s “This Week,” and Collins appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union.”</s>Dozens of Syrians were killed Saturday in a chemical attack thought to have been initiated by President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

According to The New York Times, the chemical attack struck the suburb of Douma, just east of Damascus, a location where numerous rebels were suspected to be hiding.

President Donald Trump echoed sentiments of other aid groups Sunday as he called out Assad — and other notable figures — for the attack.

“Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world.”

“President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Aimal Assad,” he added. “Big price to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!”

In the aftermath of the attack, large groups of patients — many of them children — could be seen with burning eyes and breathing problems as they rushed to medical aid.

Other Western governments have also condemned the attack, with the British Foreign Office calling for an immediate investigation, adding that any evidence of chemical weapons “is further proof of Assad’s brutality.”

“The Assad regime and its backers must be held accountable, and any further attacks prevented immediately,” Nauert said in a statement.

“The United States calls on Russia to end this unmitigated support immediately and work with the international community to prevent further barbaric chemical weapons attacks,” she added.

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The U.S. is still verifying whether or not a chemical weapon had been used, as such an attack would create issues with Trump’s recent statement claiming the U.S. will be leaving Syria “very soon.”

Trump also took a jab at former President Barack Obama, claiming he should have “crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand” instead of declining any military intervention after evidence was found that the Syrian government had gassed its own citizens.

Rescue workers have reported at least 42 victims were found dead in their homes from suffocation, with other anti-government activists circulating video footage of the wreckage and bodies with white foam leaking from their mouths and nostrils.

Syria has denied any involvement in using chemical weapons and has gone so far as to blame Islamist rebel group Army of Islam, which controls the area, as fabricating the video to receive international support.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates the Syrian government, along with allies Russia and Iran, has effectively driven out thousands and killed more than 1,600 in its vow to retake the land from rebel groups.

Just a day before the attack, Lebanese reporter Hussein Mortada released a video of himself standing on a hill overlooking Douma as smoke in the background could be seen from other government attacks.

“These are appetizers,” said Mortada, who also supports the Syrian government. “The story is bigger than a ground invasion. There is something they will see today if the story continues. They will feel something very strong.”

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>Although Israel rarely provides details or takes responsibility for such attacks, its military acknowledges it has struck inside Syria more than 100 times since 2012. Most targets have been suspected weapons' convoys destined for Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has been engaged in battles alongside Syrian government forces.

Iran is a sponsor of Hezbollah and also backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a bloody 34-day war in 2006. More than 1,000 Lebanese — mostly civilians — were killed; 158 Israelis, 119 of them soldiers, also died. Many Israeli experts are convinced that the country's next war will be against Hezbollah, which is part of Lebanon's coalition government.

Assad is thought to be close to crushing the seven-year rebellion in his country thanks to Russia, as well as Iran and Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump appears determined to get out of Syria, having argued with his military advisers only last week that he prefers to bring U.S. troops home in months, not years.

Yossi Mekelberg, head of international relations at London’s Regent's University, says that the Israeli government fears "the Iranians are getting too close."

“I think that the worry in Israel as in many other places … is Trump’s unpredictability," Mekelberg said.

If the U.S. is not deeply involved in the Middle East, “Israel will find itself more and more feeling the need to act in Syria" to thwart the threat from Iran, according to Mekelberg. "Israel really does not want to act in Syria."

Underscoring the threat from the north, a senior cleric in Iran last week claimed that Hezbollah has weapons that could destroy the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv. Referring to the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said Friday that the Lebanese group’s rockets had turned both cities into “ghost towns.”

And now Hezbollah was much more powerful, Khatami said.

“If you want Haifa and Tel Aviv to be razed to the ground, you can try your chance once again,” the firebrand cleric warned Israel.

Giora Eiland, the former head of the Israeli National Security Council, blamed decisions made during President Barack Obama’s time in the White House for the situation unfolding in Syria.

“The biggest American mistake was not made in the past year, but it was made in the beginning of the uprising in Syria back in 2011,” he said.

At that time there were only two parties in Syria, Eiland said: Assad's beleaguered government and a pro-democracy movement.

“Assad was quite lonely” and Western intervention could have made a big difference to those trying to oust him, he added.

Any advantage Syria’s rebels might have had was lost after Russia’s Sept. 2015 decision to support Assad militarily, Eiland said.

On Sunday, Trump condemned what he described as a "mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria," laying the blame at the feet of Russia's Vladimir Putin, Assad and Iran.</s>Sen. John McCain partially blamed President Donald Trump for a suspected poison gas attack in Syria over the weekend, saying his desire to “prematurely” withdraw U.S. troops from the country gave Syrian President Bashar al-Assad confidence to strike civilians with chemical weapons.

“President Trump last week signaled to the world that the United States would prematurely withdraw from Syria,” the Arizona Republican said Sunday in a statement. “Bashar Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers have heard him, and emboldened by American inaction, Assad has reportedly launched another chemical attack against innocent men, women and children, this time in Douma.”

McCain, who has long argued the U.S. should do more to oust Assad, challenged Trump to repeat his response to a similar chemical attack in April 2017, when he ordered a cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base.

“The question now is whether he will do anything about it,” McCain said of Trump, calling for a strike on Syria to “demonstrate that Assad will pay a price for his war crimes.”

At least 40 people were killed and hundreds more injured Saturday in a suspected chemical attack that struck the town of Douma in the besieged Eastern Ghouta enclave near Damascus, according to rescuers and opposition groups.

The attack came as Syrian government forces sought to finish off an eight-week offensive against Douma — the last stronghold the Jaish al-Islam group’s Islamist rebels controlled.

More than 1,700 people have been killed in the eastern Ghouta since February, when the Syrian army and allied Russian forces initiated a brutal assault to oust rebel fighters from the area.

The fighting has caused a mass displacement of civilians as well: More than 130,000 Syrians have left eastern Ghouta through evacuation agreements between rebels and the government, according to the U.N.

Though it would not be the first time the Assad regime used chemical weapons against civilians, Saturday’s attack raised new questions for the future of the U.S. military intervention in Syria.

Trump has been deeply skeptical of a long-term presence there, but influential voices inside and outside the government are calling on the president to change his mind.

Last week, Trump told his top advisers he wanted to maintain a focus on the core mission of defeating the remnants of the Islamic State, after which U.S. troops would come home within six months.

Trump’s national security staff pushed back, arguing a long-term U.S. military presence in Syria is needed to prevent the Islamic State group from reconstituting itself and block Iran’s ambitions in the region.

Most of the Washington foreign policy establishment and the national media agree, with editorials in The New York Times and Washington Post arguing against an expedited withdrawal of the 2,000 American troops currently deployed to Syria.

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Foreign governments are also pressuring Trump to deepen U.S. involvement in the Syrian conflict. The U.S. should stay there for “at least the mid-term, if not the long-term,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said during a stateside tour last week.

Israel has also criticized Trump’s Syria policy, saying it has failed to stop Iran from infiltrating military assets in Syrian territory. Following Saturday’s attack, top Israeli officials called for direct U.S. military action against the Assad regime.

A version of this article previously appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:30 P.M.) – U.S. Senator John McCain released a statement on Sunday that condemned the reported chemical weapons attack on the East Ghouta town of Douma yesterday.

“President Trump last week signaled to the world that the United States would prematurely withdraw from Syria. Bashar Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers have heard him, and emboldened by American inaction, Assad has reportedly launched another chemical attack against innocent men, women and children, this time in Douma. Initial accounts show dozens of innocent civilians, including children, have been targeted by this vicious bombardment designed to burn and choke the human body and leave victims writhing in unspeakable pain,” McCain began.

“Crimes against humanity have become Assad’s trademarks in his relentless campaign against the people of Syria that has killed more than half a million people and forced 11 million from their homes. President Trump was quick to call out Assad today, along with the Russian and Iranian governments, on Twitter. The question now is whether he will do anything about it. The President responded decisively when Assad used chemical weapons last year. He should do so again, and demonstrate that Assad will pay a price for his war crimes,” McCain stated.

McCain has repeatedly called on both former U.S. President Barack Obama and his successor Donald Trump to take military action in Syria and remove Assad.</s>Donald Trump has hit out at Russian and Iranian support of the Syrian regime

Donald Trump has warned Russia and Iran there will be a "big price to pay" for backing the Syrian regime after a suspected chemical attack.

The US President condemned as "mindless" and "SICK" reports of at least 70 people being killed, and a further 500 injured, in an alleged chlorine gas attack in the city of Douma in eastern Ghouta.

Mr Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron also vowed a "strong, joint response" during a phone conversation, the White House said on Sunday evening.

It added that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad "must be held accountable for its continued human rights abuses".

:: 'Hell on earth': What's happening in Syria?

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There has been no independent verification of the claims - made by the White Helmets rescue service and other opposition-linked medical relief groups - of a chemical attack.

However, the EU has said the "evidence points toward yet another chemical attack".

:: Several dead after missiles hit airfield in Homs

Babies caught up in 'chemical attack'

Nine countries have called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the reports: the UK, France, the US, Poland, Netherlands, Sweden, Kuwait, Peru and Ivory Coast. It is due to take place later.

The allegations have been denied by the Syrian government and Russia, with the latter separately calling for a Security Council meeting over "threats to international peace and security".

:: Syrian opposition and Russia reach agreement over Douma

Syrian media accused anti-Assad fighters in Douma of making "chemical attack fabrications" and added that allegations of toxic gas use are an "unconvincing broken record".

Iran branded the allegations as a "conspiracy" against Mr Assad, and warned that any US military intervention would "certainly complicate the situation" in Syria and the wider region.

Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018 ....to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018

The country's official IRNA news agency said the alleged attack had been condemned by the foreign ministry, which said in a statement: "Such allegations and accusations by the Americans and certain Western countries signal a new conspiracy against the Syrian government and people, and a pretext for military action."

It continued: "With the Syrian army having the upper hand on the ground against the armed terrorists, it would not be rational for it to use chemical weapons."

Mr Trump had earlier tweeted: "Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price...

"....to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!"

.@POTUS & I closely monitoring likely chemical attack in Syria. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the assault on innocent lives, including children. The Assad regime & its backers MUST END their barbaric behavior. As POTUS said, big price to pay for those responsible! — Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) April 8, 2018

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson described the allegations of a chlorine gas attack in the rebel holdout as "deeply disturbing" and called for an immediate investigation by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

"It is truly horrific to think that many of the victims were reportedly families seeking refuge from airstrikes in underground shelters," he said.

"Despite Russia's promise in 2013 to ensure Syria would abandon all of its chemical weapons, international investigators mandated by the UN Security Council have found the Assad regime responsible for using poison gas in at least four separate attacks since 2014."

"These latest reports must urgently be investigated and the international community must respond."

Image: People rush to help a distressed young child after the alleged chemical attack in Douma

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "The horrific deaths and injuries in Douma point to a chemical attack which must be fully investigated by the UN and those responsible held to account.

"The need to restart real negotiations for peace and a political settlement in Syria could not be more urgent."

Image: Douma in eastern Ghouta has been dubbed 'hell on earth'

The EU has called on Russia and Iran as "supporters of the regime" to use their influence with Damascus to prevent a similar attack.

Last year, the UN was among those blaming Syrian government forces for a deadly sarin gas attack on the opposition-held village of Khan Sheikhun in which at least 100 people died.

That attack prompted the US to launch several dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air base, which President Trump said was meant to "prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly weapons".

April 2017: Syrian TV shows 'missiles hitting airbase'

Responding to the latest allegations, the Russian foreign ministry warned: "The goal of these false speculations, which are not substantiated by any facts, is to cover up terrorists and irreconcilable radical opposition, which opposes political settlement, and to simultaneously try to justify potential external military strikes.

"It is necessary to once again caution that military intervention under false and fabricated pretexts in Syria, where the Russian servicemen stay at the request of the legitimate government, is absolutely unacceptable and may trigger the gravest consequences."

British MP Johnny Mercer, who has previously claimed it was "the biggest foreign policy mistake of the decade" not to take military action in Syria, tweeted: "Look at the consequences of inaction."
U.S. President Donald Trump warns Russia and Iran for backing Bashar al-Assad and calls him "Animal Assad".