Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did the United States launch missile strikes on Syria after the 2017 Khan Shaykhun chemical attack?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

American soldiers in World War I uniforms, some wearing gas masks, advance with rifles during a simulated gas attack exercise on a rocky battlefield. — chemical weapon American soldiers participating in a simulated gas attack exercise, World War I.

The United States launched missile strikes on the Shayrat air base in April 2017 in direct response to a chemical weapons attack carried out in Khān Shaykhūn, Syria.12

Following reports that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had utilized sarin gas against civilians, the U.S. military fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the air base near Homs. This action was taken to address the use of prohibited weapons of mass destruction, which are internationally condemned under the Geneva Protocol and the Chemical Weapons Convention. The use of such indiscriminate and horrific weapons against non-combatants is a fundamental violation of human rights and international law, necessitating a firm response to uphold global ethical standards against the proliferation and deployment of chemical agents.12