Syrian rebels and opposition political figures say hundreds of people have been killed in a chemical weapons attack the Bashar al-Assad regime carried out on civilians.

Most conventional sources estimate the death toll from 200 to 500 lives lost, with rebels claiming as many as 1,400 people were killed.  What is clear is that something very terrible has happened.

Warning:  Some of the video links that follow are disturbing.

Rebel videos from the Ghouta neighborhood in Eastern Damascus show panicked people outside and distressed people on the floors of a medical facility, with workers desperately trying to wash down the patients.  Some show the tell-tale signs of chemical poisoning; blue lips, convulsions, foaming at the mouth.  Others do not.  Lifeless bodies are lined up in another area, and dozens of small children are among them.  They do not appear to be breathing.  Only one bright spot, a little girl wakes up from whatever happened to her, repeating, “I’m alive!” as if it were not expected.

The rebels blame the government, and the Assad regime has denied the accusation.  One thing that is not clear is why the Assad regime would try to use chemical weapons on its own people in Damascus within hours of international weapons inspectors arriving in the city to investigate earlier chemical weapons claims.  But some observers say it is doubtful the United Nations team could get access to area where this latest attack happened.