US, other nations call emergency UN Security Council meeting on chemical attack in Syria

Members of the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council are expected to hold an emergency meeting on Monday in response to a reported chemical attack on Syrian citizens.

The British mission to the United Nations tweeted Sunday afternoon that the United Kingdom, the United States, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Kuwait, Peru and the Ivory Coast have agreed to hold an emergency meeting on the matter.

UK, France, US, Poland, Netherlands, Sweden, Kuwait, Peru and Cote d’Ivore have called an emergency meeting of #UNSC to discuss reports of chemical weapons attack in #Syria. Meeting expected on Monday.

— UK at the UN (@UKUN_NewYork) April 8, 2018

Dozens of people were killed in an alleged chemical weapons attack on a hospital in Douma, Syria, on Saturday. The death count will likely rise.

{mosads}President Trump on Sunday tweeted there would be a “big price to pay” for the attack. He blamed former President Obama for failing to address the crisis in Syria, and called out Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran for backing Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad,” Trump tweeted.

Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018

Russia, which is also a member of the U.N. Security Council, pushed back against reports of the chemical attack, calling the news “bogus” and “fabricated.”

Russia has been politically and militarily supporting Assad, who has been fighting a civil war against various opposition groups since 2011.