The intergovernmental organization tasked with enforcing the Chemical Weapons Convention will convene an urgent session at its headquarters in the Netherlands on Thursday to address issues surrounding Syria’s stockpile of the dangerous munitions.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons informed the recently established Syrian interim government on Monday that as the successor state to the regime of Ba'athist dictator Bashar al-Assad, it must adhere to obligations to identify, secure, and eliminate the prohibited materials under their jurisdiction.
Regional anxieties have risen following al-Assad’s departure to Moscow on Sunday, as the leading rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has historical links to both Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. These associations raise concerns over their actions should they gain control of any remaining hazardous substance reserves.
Despite initial denials from Damascus of chemical weapons use during the country’s 13-year civil war, the OPCW and Western intelligence agencies have confirmed toxic agents were deployed by al-Assad’s armed forces against opposition territories as early as 2012. The most catastrophic attack occurred on August 21, 2013, when sarin gas was released in Ghouta, claiming the lives of over 1,400 civilians.
On December 9, officials in Jerusalem acknowledged that the Israeli military had conducted airstrikes on suspected chemical weapons storage facilities in Syria to prevent the spread of these lethal compounds to terrorist groups.
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