BICOM

Israeli leaders from across the political spectrum have condemned a chemical weapon attack carried out by Syrian Government forces yesterday.

At least 58 people, including 11 children, were killed in the incident, though some unconfirmed reports have put the death toll closer to 100. A nerve agent, thought to be sarin, was dropped from warplanes over Khan Sheikhoun in the Idlib district of Syria early yesterday morning by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “sharply condemned” the attack and called on the international community to complete the process of removing all of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles.

He said: “When I saw pictures of babies suffocating from a chemical attack in Syria, I was shocked and outraged. There’s no, none, no excuse whatsoever for the deliberate attacks on civilians and on children, especially with cruel and outlawed chemical weapons.”

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin described the attack as “a stain on all humanity” and pledged that Israel would “do all we can to continue to aid the survivors of the horrors in Syria… We know all too well how dangerous silence can be, and we cannot remain mute”. He went on to urge other world leaders to “act now, without delay, to stop these criminal, murderous acts taking place in Syria by the hand of the Assad regime, and to work urgently to remove all stockpiles of chemical weapons from Syrian territory”.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett called on Netanyahu to convene an emergency meeting of the security cabinet in a statement yesterday, saying: “The use of chemical weapons against civilians requires Israel’s security cabinet to rethink its stance.” He also called US President Donald Trump to lead an international effort to stop the “chemical massacre”.

Zionist Union MK and former defence minister Amir Peretz wrote on Twitter: “We cannot overlook chemical weapons used against civilians in Idlib. The US and international community must immediately stop the bloodshed.”

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon agreed, urging Israel to “take moral responsibility and open its gates to treat children who are victims of genocide”.

Though Israel has stayed on the side-lines of the Syrian War, it has carried out intermittent strikes to prevent the transfer of sophisticated missiles to Hezbollah and prevent the establishment of Hezbollah military infrastructure in Southern Syria. Israeli hospitals have also treated thousands of wounded who have managed to cross the border into the Golan Heights.