ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

Chemical Weapons Use During the Syrian Civil War

The use of chemical weapons has been a significant aspect of the Syrian civil war, with various parties involved in the conflict employing these deadly substances against civilians and military targets.

Since the outbreak of the uprising in 2011, the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and their affiliated paramilitary groups have been responsible for over 300 chemical attacks within Syria. These attacks have primarily targeted civilian populations, often resulting in significant casualties and displacement.

The most notable chemical attack occurred on August 21, 2013, when a sarin gas attack in Ghouta killed more than 1,729 people and injured an additional 3,600 patients. This incident was widely condemned by the international community, with the United States, France, and Russia calling for accountability from the Syrian government.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism concluded that the Assad regime was responsible for the sarin attack in Khan Shaykhun, as well as three chlorine attacks. Additionally, it has been reported that Islamic State militants used sulfur mustard in some chemical attacks.

The Syrian government has consistently denied any involvement in ordering these chemical attacks, with President Bashar Al-Assad stating that such actions would never be carried out unless Syria faced external aggression. However, various intelligence sources have suggested otherwise, including a claim by German newspaper Bild in September 2013 that senior Syrian officials had discussed the use of chemical weapons.

International pressure has been mounting on the Assad regime to comply with international law and disarm its chemical arsenal. In May 2013, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that "the Syrian government does not publicly acknowledge that it possesses chemical weapons, although international experts say it has a large arsenal."

The use of chemical weapons in Syria is also linked to the country's non-compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), an international treaty aimed at eliminating such weapons. In 1968, Syria joined the Geneva Protocol, which includes a moral commitment not to use chemical weapons but does not control possession or production.

Despite joining the CWC in 1997 and providing information on its chemical stockpiles, Syria has failed to meet its commitments under the convention until 2022. Testimony from Syrian scientists collected by Mediapart in 2017 revealed that they had been involved in the development of these weapons, highlighting the regime's efforts to conceal its activities.

The international community has consistently condemned the use of chemical weapons