Israeli official says Syria has ‘tons’ of chemical weapons

TEL AVIV, Israel (Kurdistan24) – An Israeli official on Wednesday claimed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad still has “tons of chemical weapons” in stock.

A senior Israeli military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Assad regime has an estimated three tons of chemical weapons, Reuters reported.

The comments come weeks after chemical weapons were used in the Syrian province of Idlib, where at least 90 people were killed.

British scientists confirmed sarin or a sarin-like substance was used in the deadly attack.

Despite accusations from international powers, Assad insisted his regime had turned over all their chemical weapons “years ago.”

According to the Syrian president, a deal was reached in 2003 in coordination with Russia, its key ally, to prevent the threat of US military action.

The Idlib attacks prompted US President Donald Trump to order a missile strike on the Syrian air base where the weapons were reportedly launched.

In a recent interview with AFP, Assad claimed the US “fabricated” the chemical attack in Idlib to justify its military intervention in Syria.

“They fabricated the whole story in order to have a pretext for the attack,” he stated.

In the aftermath of the chemical bombing, Russia and the US disagreed on whom to hold responsible for the deadly raid.

Russia blamed rebel fighters for the fatal incident, claiming a routine Syrian regime strike hit a rebel arms depot containing “toxic substances.”

“It’s necessary to demand that the rebels offer full access to study the area and collect necessary information,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Meanwhile, President Trump branded the Assad regime as perpetrators of the crime, calling the assault “reprehensible.”

Editing by G. H. Renaud