Global concerns about chemical weapons have increased following the control of rebel groups in Syria. The international community has become vigilant due to the potential risk of these weapons falling into the wrong hands. Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani has stated that his organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is working with international organizations to secure potential sites. However, he also clarified that HTS will not use chemical weapons under any circumstances.
On Sunday, rebel groups captured the capital of Syria, after which President Bashar al-Assad fled the country. Assad, who ruled for 24 years, had previously been accused of using chemical weapons. The Pentagon in the United States welcomed HTS’s statements but emphasized that these declarations need to be implemented.
The history of chemical weapons in Syria dates back to the 1980s when the country began producing them. At one point, it was considered to have the third-largest chemical weapons stockpile in the world. However, in 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama warned that their use would cross a “red line,” justifying military intervention by the U.S. Subsequently, in 2013, under pressure from Russia and the U.S., Syria agreed to dismantle its chemical weapons program and signed an international treaty.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was tasked with destroying these weapons, completing the process in 2013 and winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Despite this, doubts remained that Syria had not declared all its weapons. Chemical weapons use by government forces was accused in deadly attacks in 2017 and 2018.
U.S. intelligence agencies continued to monitor suspected storage sites, fearing that the Assad government could use them to suppress rebels. Now that Assad’s power has ended, the risk of theft and use of these weapons has increased. Experts believe that using chemical weapons is a complex process, and no group can easily use them without detailed information.
