The White House on Monday released a statement commemorating the four-year anniversary of the Syrian government's chemical weapons attack on civilians in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta, where more than 1,400 people were killed.
In its statement, the White House called out the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for carrying out the attack, as well as for using chemical weapons on April 4 of this year, killing more than 80 non-combatants.
"Today marks the 4th anniversary of the Syrian regime's deadly chemical weapons attack that killed more than 1,400 people in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta," the White House said. "This tragic event precipitated an international effort that led to the destruction of more than 1,000 metric tons of Syrian chemical weapons. Still, on April 4th of this year, Assad proved beyond a doubt that he still possesses these heinous weapons and is willing to use them against innocent civilians."
On April 7, President Donald Trump ordered cruise missile strikes on a Syrian airbase in retaliation for the Assad regime's gas attack days earlier.
The White House said the international community must not forget these acts of violence and "speak with one voice" to prevent the Syrian government from future chemical weapons use.
"It is critical that the international community not forget these tragic events," the statement read. "We must speak with one voice and act with one purpose to ensure that the Syrian regime, and any other actor contemplating the use of chemical weapons, understands that doing so will result in serious consequences. As the President has made clear, the United States will do its part to prevent the use or spread of these weapons. Along with the many other nations that have signed the Chemical Weapons Convention, we commit to work together to create a world without chemical weapons.
The White House reiterated America's commitment to preventing the use of chemical weapons by Syria and other nations.
"Today is an appropriate reminder of the importance of that commitment. We reiterate our call for all countries to stand together and leave no doubt that the use of chemical weapons will not be tolerated."