Secretary-General ‘Deeply Disturbed’ by Reported Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General is deeply disturbed by the reports of alleged use of chemical weapons in an air strike in the Khan Shaykhun area of southern Idlib, Syria.  The Secretary-General expresses his heartfelt condolences to victims of the incident and their families.

The United Nations is not currently in a position to independently verify these reports.  The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Fact-Finding Mission has announced that it has begun gathering information to attempt to confirm if chemical weapons were used.

The Secretary-General recalls that the Security Council previously determined that the use of chemical weapons anywhere constitutes a threat to international peace and security, and that it affirmed that the use of chemical weapons constitutes a serious violation of international law.