Shortly after a suspected chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun on April 4, double-tap airstrikes struck the town’s hospital, according to local activists who had been reporting on the treatment of victims of the alleged sarin attack inside the hospital.
The White Helmets, alongside the Health Directorate in Idlib, issued a statement on the attack stating that the double-tap airstrikes occurred four hours after the initial chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun. Both the town’s al-Rahma Hospital and the local White Helmet headquarters were targeted in the aforementioned airstrikes, which in turn forced the healthcare center out of operation. They also called on the international community to “fully investigate this crime and hold the perpetrators responsible” while also calling for increased protection of medical facilities and humanitarian workers.
The Syrian regime has denied allegations of chemical weapons use, while Russia said that it did not fly any planes over Idlib on April 4. European Union Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini said in a Brussels press conference alongside United Nations Special Envoy to Syria Steffan de Mistura that “impunity is not an option” for whoever was behind the attack.