Damascus, Sept. 24 (SANA) Syria is working with international inspectors to destroy previously undeclared chemical weapons left by the ousted regime while pursuing accountability for their use, as Damascus expands cooperation with the global chemical weapons watchdog.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has verified the irreversible destruction of 42 aerial bombs, marking the first verified destruction of Syrian chemical munitions since 2014.
Addressing the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Syria was working with seven countries through the “Breath of Freedom” initiative to address the chemical weapons legacy and had regained its full rights within the OPCW.
The developments follow the discovery this year of previously undeclared chemical munitions, substances, equipment and documents linked to the ousted regime’s program, prompting Syria to amend its initial declaration to the OPCW.
Previously undeclared weapons
An OPCW expert team said in May that it had discovered a significant amount of previously undeclared chemical weapons and related material during a deployment supported by Syrian authorities.
The findings included dozens of chemical munitions, among them aerial bombs of the same type used in chemical attacks in Ltamenah in March 2017 and Khan Shaykhun in April 2017, as well as rockets of the same type used in the Ghouta attack in August 2013.
Inspectors also found separately stored chemicals, related equipment and thousands of pages of documents concerning the chemical weapons program.
Following the discovery, Syria amended its initial declaration to include an additional chemical weapons production facility, a newly discovered chemical used in producing nerve agents, empty chemical munitions and two storage facilities.
The OPCW subsequently approved arrangements for verifying the storage and destruction of the newly declared weapons.
Destruction under international verification
OPCW inspectors deployed to Syria to verify the inventories and oversee destruction activities, confirming that they matched Syria’s revised declarations and verifying the irreversible destruction of 42 aerial bombs.
U.N. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu told the Security Council on Sept. 3 that Syria and the OPCW had made significant progress in eliminating remnants of the ousted regime’s chemical weapons program, citing the verified destruction of 42 aerial bombs.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ibrahim Olabi said it was the first destruction operation since the country’s liberation in December 2024 and the first destruction of chemical munitions on Syrian territory in more than a decade.
Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013. Its declared chemical stockpile was subsequently removed and destroyed under international supervision, but questions persisted about whether the declaration covered the full extent of the program.
The OPCW has said the ousted regime did not declare the full scope of its chemical weapons program. Its investigations have also concluded that chemical weapons were used in Syria by ousted regime forces and by ISIS.
International cooperation expands
Cooperation between Syria and the OPCW has expanded since December 2024 as inspectors seek to determine the full scope of the ousted regime and eliminate its remaining elements.
That effort broadened in March with the launch of the Syria-led “Breath of Freedom Task Force,” involving Canada, France, Germany, Qatar, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The initiative aims to help identify, secure, transfer and destroy remaining elements of the chemical weapons program under OPCW verification.
In July, the OPCW Executive Council restored Syria’s rights and privileges under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which had been suspended since 2021.
The decision, co-sponsored by 67 states and adopted by consensus, followed progress on Syria’s declarations, verification activities and preparations for destruction.
Accountability alongside destruction
Syrian authorities say efforts to eliminate the remaining weapons will be accompanied by moves to hold people involved in the former chemical weapons program accountable.
Olabi has said work is under way toward trials of people accused of chemical weapons use.
Syrian authorities have also said 18 people linked to the former program have been detained, including senior officers, former personnel at the Scientific Studies and Research Centre and security officers involved in overseeing the program.
The OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team is mandated to identify perpetrators in specific cases where chemical weapons use or likely use has been established, but it does not itself determine criminal responsibility or prosecute suspects.
Security concerns
Securing suspected sites and locating chemical munitions are also intended to reduce the risk of dangerous materials falling into unauthorized hands and threatening civilians and the environment.
Olabi told the Security Council that Israeli attacks had disrupted search and destruction operations at some stages and posed risks to Syrian and OPCW personnel and sites being secured.
The continuing effort combines the verified destruction of chemical weapons remnants with efforts to determine the full scope of the former program, strengthen international cooperation and pursue accountability for those involved.
R.H/M.F
