Syria says 18 suspects detained over chemical attacks — Anadolu Agency

Syria said that 18 suspects, including senior officers, are in custody and appearing before a specialized court in cases concerning chemical attacks from the era of Bashar al-Assad's regime. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced this at a joint press conference with Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Director-General Sabrina Dallafior in Damascus on October 13, Anadolu Agency reports.

Documents and access for the OPCW

According to al-Shaibani, Damascus has handed over more than 100,000 official documents to the OPCW and granted the organization access to archives and witnesses as part of work on Syria's chemical weapons dossier.

He also said that in June, Syrian authorities began correcting the chemical weapons declaration inherited from the previous regime. One production facility, two storage facilities and munitions that, according to the minister, had previously been concealed were added to the declaration.

Al-Shaibani said that 42 declared chemical aerial bombs were destroyed in Syria under OPCW supervision in August. He called it the first confirmed destruction of such weapons on the country's territory since 2014.

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Investigation into attacks continues

Syria's foreign minister noted that the final closure of the chemical dossier must begin with ensuring justice for victims and preventing attacks from recurring. At the same time, he pointed to obstacles to determining the full scale of the former program: the presence of mines, damaged facilities and records that the previous authorities, he said, concealed or destroyed.

Dallafior said that the OPCW continues to investigate previous chemical attacks and identify those responsible for them. According to her, ensuring control over any remnants of the Assad-era chemical program is a priority for chemical weapons non-proliferation and for the security of Syria and the region.

Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 after a deadly chemical attack in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus. In 2021, OPCW member states suspended its voting rights and other privileges over unresolved issues concerning the use and declaration of chemical weapons. Syria's full rights and privileges in the organization were restored on July 9, 2026.