The Latest: Trump to confer with Merkel, other leaders
A suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northern Idlib killed dozens of civilians Tuesday in one of the worst attacks since the civil war began.
Abe's phone call also comes ahead of the president's planned meeting Thursday with China's president Xi Jinping during which various east Asian security issues may be addressed, including a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
Ivanka Trump, a top adviser to the president, tweeted Wednesday that she is "Heartbroken and outraged by the images coming out of Syria following the atrocious chemical attack yesterday."
The United States and Russia are trading conflicting assertions about who launched a chemical weapons attack in Syria that killed 72 people.