The Ghouta chemical attack was a chemical attack carried out by the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in the early hours of 21 August 2013 in Ghouta, Syria during the Syrian civil war. It was the deadliest use of chemical weapons in Syrian conflict and since the Iran–Iraq War. Two opposition-controlled areas in the suburbs around Damascus were struck by rockets containing the chemical agent sarin. Estimates of the death toll range from 281 to 1,729 people. The attack led to an international agreement to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons, but this was not completed and further chemical attacks occurred, including Khan Shaykhun in 2017 and Douma in 2018.