The suspected poison gas attack in the Syrian town of Douma which killed at least 42 people has prompted a week of escalating military and diplomatic tensions between the west on one side, and Syria and its backers, Russia and Iran, on the other. Allegedly perpetrated by Syrian regime forces on Saturday night, the attack has been denounced as a fabrication by Russia, while the US, UK and France have warned of possible military retaliation, with Donald Trump telling Moscow to “get ready” for incoming US missiles. The verbal confrontation involving four of five permanent members of the Security Council, all of them nuclear armed, has left a feverish sense of expectation for what happens next. Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images

Source: The Guardian April 13, 2018 16:30 UTC