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Syria begins destroying al-Assad-era chemical weapons materials
Al Jazeera • • general
Key Points:
- Syria has begun destroying remnants of a clandestine chemical weapons program created under former President Bashar al-Assad, including raw materials and munitions linked to deadly gas attacks during the civil war.
- The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) verified the destruction of 42 aerial bombs, marking the first verified chemical weapons destruction in Syria since 2014.
- Newly discovered facilities include a chemical weapons production site, a new chemical used for nerve agents, and storage facilities for chemical weapons remnants.
- Syrian UN envoy Ibrahim Olabi condemned Israeli attacks that have hindered search-and-destruction efforts and endangered Syrian teams working on the disarmament.
- Syria has detained 18 suspects involved in the chemical weapons program and plans to hold the first court hearings for those accused.
