Suspected Chemical Attack Hits Eastern Ghouta in Syria

Medics in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region in Syria have reported treating people for breathing problems, indicating the use of chlorine in an attack. This comes after government forces conducted air strikes in the area after a five-hour truce and the departure of United Nations forces. The Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, reported “more than 30 suffocation cases” in a "regime gas attack” in the town of Hammoria. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights could not verify if a chemical attack has occurred. Syrian state media denied the attacks, saying accusations were "desperate attempts by some Western countries." President Bashar al-Assad called the humanitarian assessment of the region "ridiculous lies.” This comes as a United Nations Children's Fund official told CNN on Tuesday that 342 children were killed and another 803 injured in Syria in the first two months of 2018 alone.