Syria Commences Destruction of Remnants from al-Assad Chemical Weapons Programme

A drawing exhibition by a group of young people depicts scenes related to a 2013 chemical attack under Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria has officially begun destroying the remnants of a clandestine chemical weapons programme created under former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to Syrian and United Nations officials.

Speaking at a United Nations Security Council briefing on Thursday, diplomats confirmed that this effort includes raw materials and munitions similar to those utilized in lethal gas attacks throughout the country’s civil war.

UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu reported to the UN Security Council that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has verified the destruction of chemical munitions in Syria for the first time since 2014.

Nakamitsu explained that Syria’s new leadership located remnants of al-Assad’s chemical weapons programme in May. Following this discovery, Syria found one additional chemical weapons production facility, a newly discovered chemical used in the production of nerve agents, and empty chemical munitions. She added that authorities also declared two chemical weapons storage facilities where these newly discovered items were kept.

Last month, an OPCW team was deployed to Syria to verify the destruction of category-three chemical weapons, which are defined as unfilled munitions and other equipment utilized for releasing chemical weapons. Nakamitsu stated that the team successfully verified the irreversible destruction of 42 aerial bombs during the mission.

Syria’s UN envoy Ibrahim Olabi addressed the briefing, stating that this represents the very first destruction process since liberation from the previous regime and the first time in over a decade that chemical materials have been destroyed on Syrian territory.

Olabi told the council that Syria is actively protecting the world and the region through these operations. However, he noted that repeated Israeli attacks have impeded certain search-and-destruction efforts and placed working Syrian teams at risk.

Stating that regional security cannot be safeguarded when Syrian security is compromised by Israeli attacks, Olabi accused Israel of flouting regional security and breaching relevant conventions and treaties.

Earlier this year, Syrian authorities detained 18 suspects for their alleged involvement in al-Assad’s chemical weapons programme, including high-level military, political, and technical officials. Olabi announced that Syria is currently preparing to hold the first court hearings for those suspected of participating in the chemical weapons programme.