Syria Using Chemical Weapons, Israeli Army Claims

Syria is using chemical weapons, according to a senior Israeli military intelligence official who spoke about the situation on Tuesday.

The official alleged that Syrian President Bashar al Assad used chemical weapons last month against opposition forces. The announcement was the first time Israel has accused the country of using nonconventional weapons.

While Assad is an enemy of Israel, the nation has been careful not to take sides in its neighbor’s ongoing civil war. The Assad family has helped to keep the border with Israel quiet for the past 40 years.

The Israelis are also concerned that Assad’s stockpile of chemical weapons and other arms could fall into the hands of the wrong groups. But the new assessment could up the pressure on the United States and other Western countries to intervene in the ongoing Syrian conflict.

It is not the first time Assad has been accused of using chemical weapons against the opposition. Britain and France also announced that they had evidence of the incident happening last month.

The US has stated it cannot verify the claims of chemical weapons use. However, US President Barack Obama warned that the use of the weapons by Assad would be a “game changer.” He added that their use would cross the red line.

Brigadier General Itai Brun, the head of research and analysis in Israeli military intelligence, stated on Tuesday that Assad has used chemical weapons in Syria more than once. He added that the incidents included attacks documented by the French and British near Damascus last month.

Brun added that sarin, a lethal nerve agent, was likely the chemical used. He explained, “To the best of our professional understanding, the regime used lethal chemical weapons against the militants in a series of incidents over the past months, including the relatively famous incident of March 19.”

Brun stated that evidence included the bodies of those inflicted with the chemical. Their symptoms were, “shrunken pupils, foaming at the mouth and other signs.” Along with sarin gas, Brun stated that other less lethal chemical weapons were likely used by Assad and his forces.

The Israeli intelligence official’s assessment echoes similar findings made from British and French officials about chemical weapon use in Syria.