Washington, August 22, 2019, SPA -- The United States on Wednesday denounced the repeated use of chemical weapons by the government of Syrian President Bashar al Assad and vowed “to prevent further use of these deadly weapons and to hold the Assad regime accountable for these heinous crimes.” The Assad government’s “barbaric history of using chemical weapons against its own people cannot and will not be forgotten or tolerated,” the State Department said in a statement commemorating the one-year anniversary of the “horrific” chemical attack with the nerve agent sarin on the Ghouta district in Damascus that killed more than 1,400 Syrians. “Assad and others in his regime who believe they can continue using chemical weapons with impunity are mistaken. The United States remains determined to hold the Assad regime accountable for these heinous acts and will continue to pursue all efforts alongside partner countries to ensure that those involved in chemical attacks face serious consequences,” the department wrote. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons anywhere, by anyone, under any circumstances,” the department said. --SPA 03:14 LOCAL TIME 00:14 GMT 0026 www.spa.gov.sa/w1159329