Syria has begun destroying Assad's chemical weapons
For the first time since Bashar al-Assad was ousted, Syria’s new government has begun destroying materials and munitions related to chemical weapons. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has already confirmed the destruction of 42 aerial bombs, and Damascus has declared its readiness to completely eliminate the remnants of the former regime’s chemical weapons program.
Syria has begun destroying stockpiles and munitions related to chemical weapons following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. This was announced by Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ibrahim Olabi, during a meeting of the UN Security Council.
According to him, this is the first such process in the country since the change in government. He also emphasized that, for the first time in more than a decade, Syria is destroying chemical materials directly on its own territory. “This is the first destruction process since we freed ourselves from the previous regime. And this is the first time in over a decade that chemical materials have been destroyed directly on Syrian territory,” Olabi said.
The OPCW confirmed the destruction of 42 aerial bombs
The UN also reported on the initial results of the work. The head of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, stated that a team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed the irreversible destruction of 42 aerial bombs last month.
According to her, this is a significant development, as the OPCW had not confirmed the destruction of Syrian chemical munitions since 2014. “This is a significant development, as it is the first time since 2014 that the OPCW has confirmed the destruction of chemical munitions belonging to the Syrian Arab Republic,” Nakamitsu said.
These are munitions left over from the Syrian regime’s long-standing chemical weapons program. Now, international experts must help the country’s new government determine what remains of this program and how to safely destroy it all.
What Syria’s New Government Promises
Following Assad’s ouster, the new government in Damascus stated that it is ready to cooperate with the OPCW. Its goal is to locate and eliminate the remnants of the chemical weapons program, which the international community has for years linked to the Assad regime. During the civil war in Syria, the regime was repeatedly accused of using chemical weapons against the civilian population. Damascus denied these accusations, but international investigations pointed to the involvement of Syrian government forces in specific chemical attacks.
Olabi stated that the new government wants to prevent dangerous materials from falling into the hands of those who might use them again. “We seek to protect the Syrian people so that such weapons do not fall into the wrong hands,” said the Syrian representative. He also emphasized that every facility neutralized and every munition found reduces the risk not only for Syria itself but also for other countries in the region.
Why Chemical Weapons Have Become a Major Problem for Syria
Syria agreed to give up its chemical weapons in 2013. At that time, under pressure from the U.S. and Russia, the country joined the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and agreed to declare its stockpiles and hand them over for destruction. This followed one of the most notorious chemical attacks of the Syrian war. In August 2013, the nerve agent sarin was used in the Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus.
According to U.S. intelligence estimates, more than a thousand people were killed as a result of this attack. Among the dead were civilians, including children. The Assad regime denied responsibility for the attack and blamed it on the rebels. At the same time, international investigations continued to point to problems with Syria’s chemical weapons program.
After joining the OPCW, Syria was required to declare all its chemical stockpiles and facilities. However, international inspectors later stated that Damascus had not fully disclosed the scope of its program.
The OPCW accused the Assad regime of new attacks
The issue did not end with the 2013 agreement. Over the following years, the OPCW investigated new cases of possible chemical weapons use in Syria. The organization concluded that Syrian government forces were responsible for certain chemical attacks. Among other things, these involved the use of sarin and chlorine.
In 2021, the OPCW stripped Syria of its voting rights and the right to be elected to the organization’s governing bodies. This decision was a result of findings that the Syrian military had used chemical weapons. Thus, the issue of Syria’s chemical weapons program remained unresolved even after Damascus officially agreed to abandon it.
The U.S. called for continued efforts
The United States welcomed the start of the destruction of chemical munitions and called on the new Syrian government to continue cooperating with the OPCW. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce stated that the dismantling of Assad’s chemical program is important not only for international security. According to her, it is also a matter of justice for the people who died in the chemical attacks. “The elimination of the Assad regime’s chemical program and holding those responsible to account is not only a matter of international security, but also a way to honor the Syrian men, women, and children whose lives were taken,” Bruce said.
Now, international organizations and Syria’s new government must determine how much hazardous material and munitions remain in the country. They also need to establish exactly where they are located and how to safely destroy them. For Syria, this process also has symbolic significance. The new government is trying to distance itself from the policies of the Assad regime, and the elimination of its chemical weapons program could be one of the first concrete steps in that direction. So far, the OPCW has confirmed the destruction of 42 aerial bombs. However, the work continues, and the full extent of the former Syrian regime’s chemical legacy has yet to be determined. This was reported by Al Arabiya.
Syria and Israel held high-level talks in Jordan, mediated by the U.S., aimed at easing tensions following recent Israeli strikes on Syrian territory. This was reported by the Korea Herald, citing the Syrian state news agency SANA, which quoted a diplomatic source in the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
