Syria begins destruction of Assad-era chemical weapons, first in a decade

Syria has begun destroying what remains of a clandestine chemical weapons program from the era of former dictator Bashar Al-Assad found in May. A Syrian envoy and a UN representative said on Thursday (3) that this was the first destruction of its kind in a decade.

In May, Reuters reported that Syria's new leadership had located remnants of Assad's chemical weapons program, including raw materials and ammunition similar to those used in deadly gas attacks during the country's civil war, which claimed more than 500,000 lives.

Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, told a Security Council meeting on Thursday that, for the first time since 2014, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed the destruction of chemical munitions in Syria.

"Following the discovery, Damascus found yet another chemical weapons production facility, a newly identified chemical used in the production of nerve agents and empty chemical munitions. The country also declared two chemical weapons storage facilities where the newly discovered materials were being stored," Nakamitsu said.

Last month, the OPCW sent a team to the country to verify the destruction of category three weapons, which includes unfilled ammunition and equipment to disperse chemical agents. According to her, the team verified "the irreversible destruction of 42 aerial bombs" as part of this mission.

Syria's UN ambassador, Ibrahim Olabi, told the council that the country was "protecting the world and the region through this work."

During the statement, he harshly criticized Israel by stating that the repeated attacks in Tel Aviv hamper search and destruction operations, exposing risks to the teams involved in the work.

"We cannot guarantee the security of the region if our own security is subject to attacks perpetrated by Tel Aviv, which disrespects the security of the entire region and violates the conventions and treaties we speak of," Olabi said. Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ambassador stated that his country was preparing to hold the first judicial hearing of people suspected of involvement in the chemical weapons program. Earlier this year, authorities arrested 18 people suspected of involvement in Assad's chemical program, including high-ranking military and political officials.