US Warns Assad: No Impunity for Users of Chemical Weapons

A road sign in Syria's Khan Sheikhoun. (AFP)
A road sign in Syria's Khan Sheikhoun. (AFP)
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US Warns Assad: No Impunity for Users of Chemical Weapons

A road sign in Syria's Khan Sheikhoun. (AFP)
A road sign in Syria's Khan Sheikhoun. (AFP)

The United States slammed on Friday the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, warning that it will hold him to account for the chemical attacks it had launched during the conflict that erupted in 2011.

“In January, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons found the Assad regime responsible for the chemical attack on Douma in 2018 that killed 43, just as it was for the chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun six years ago this week which killed nearly 100. There can be no impunity for users of chemical weapons,” the US Embassy in Syria tweeted.

“No amount of Russian and regime disinformation can refute the facts and the thorough analysis of expert OPCW investigators. We know what happened in Douma, Khan Sheikhoun, and elsewhere in Syria, and we will continue to seek accountability for those responsible.”

The government has repeatedly denied that it had used chemical weapons during the war.

In wake of the Ghouta attack in 2013, it agreed to destroy its chemical weapons arsenal under a Russian-sponsored deal.

Last week, the US imposed sanctions against two members of the Assad family for their role in the smuggling of Captagon narcotics.

The sanctions, imposed in coordination between the US and the UK, targeted Samer Kamal al-Assad and Wassim Badi al-Assad.

In 2020, 84 million Captagon pills were produced at a factory owned by Samer in Latakia, the US Treasury said.

“Syria has become a global leader in the production of highly addictive Captagon, much of which is trafficked through Lebanon,” said Treasury official Andrea Gacki.

The stimulant has spawned an illegal $10 billion industry.



Israeli Airstrike Hits Hospital Entrance in Gaza, Wounding 10 Medics and Patients 

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Palestinian homes in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 14 April 2025. (EPA)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Palestinian homes in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 14 April 2025. (EPA)
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Israeli Airstrike Hits Hospital Entrance in Gaza, Wounding 10 Medics and Patients 

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Palestinian homes in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 14 April 2025. (EPA)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Palestinian homes in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 14 April 2025. (EPA)

An Israeli airstrike hit the northern gate of a field hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, wounding 10 people, including three medics and seven patients, a spokesman for the hospital said.

The strike hit the Kuwaiti Field Hospital in the Muwasi area, where hundreds of thousands of people have sought shelter in sprawling tent camps. Saber Mohammed, a spokesman for the hospital, said two of the patients were critically wounded.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The military has struck hospitals on several occasions during the 18-month war, accusing Hamas fighters of hiding out in them or using them for military purposes. Hospital staff have denied the allegations and accused Israel of recklessly endangering civilians and gutting the territory's health system.

On Sunday, Israel struck the last major hospital providing critical care in northern Gaza after ordering an evacuation. A patient died during the evacuation, and the strike severely damaged the emergency room, pharmacy and surrounding buildings, according to Al-Ahli Hospital.

The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs the hospital, condemned the strike.

Israel said it targeted a Hamas command and control center within the facility, without providing evidence. Hamas denied the allegations.

The war began when Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Fifty-nine hostages are still inside Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed nearly 51,000 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It does not say how many were civilians or combatants but says women and children make up more than half of the dead. The offensive has destroyed a vast part of the territory and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly 2 million Palestinians.