The Syrian government is maintaining and regularly deploying a stockpile of chemical weapons, according to an investigation by the news agency Reuters.
In 2013, after Syrian forces used chemical weapons against rebel fighters, killing scores of civilians, an international outcry and the threat of military retaliation led President Bashar al-Assad to promise to dismantle his chemical weapons under the supervision of the US, Russia and the UN.
Many diplomats and weapons inspectors now believe that pledge was a ruse and suspect that, while appearing to cooperate with international inspectors, Assad's regime "secretly maintained or developed a new chemical weapons capability", reports Reuters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The news agency cites dozens of officials and diplomats who claim the Assad government has repeatedly hampered inspectors and has conducted "dozens" of chlorine attacks and "at least one major sarin attack", killing more than 200 and leaving hundreds more injured.
In June, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons claimed the banned nerve agent sarin had been used in an attack in northern Syria in April. A joint UN and OPCW investigation earlier in the year found Syrian government forces used chlorine gas in three attacks in 2014 and 2015.
"The extent of Syria's reluctance to abandon chemical weapons has not previously been made public for fear of damaging international inspectors' relationship with Assad's administration and its backer, Russia," the Israeli news outlet Haaretz reports.
Despite overwhelming evidence Assad has continued to deploy chemical weapons, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova laid the blame squarely on allied forces, saying there was evidence that the West is supplying chemical weapons to militants in Syria.
"Yes, it's true," she told the state-funded Vesti FM radio station on Thursday morning. "Western countries and regional powers are directly and indirectly supplying militants, terrorists and extremists in Syria with banned toxic substances".
-
Bonnie Blue: taking clickbait to extremesTalking Point Channel 4 claims documentary on the adult performer's attention-grabbing sex stunts is opening up a debate
-
Broccoli and lentil salad with curried tahini and dates recipeThe Week Recommends Flavoursome and healthy, this creamy salad is perfect as part of a mezze
-
Sudoku hard: August 9, 2025The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Rubio says US brokered end to Syria conflictSpeed Read Syria's defense ministry was targeted in Israeli attacks on the capital
-
Syria's returning refugeesThe Explainer Thousands of Syrian refugees are going back to their homeland but conditions there remain extremely challenging
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
