UN Panel of Experts Uncovers New Chemical Weapon in Syrian Civil War

The United Nations has uncovered evidence of a type of chemical weapon that was used by Syrian government forces during that country’s civil war that was not disclosed to UN Inspectors.

Izumi Nakamitsu briefed the Security Council on Thursday on the findings by the UN-backed Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which deployed a team to Syria in May.

Inspectors found undeclared chemical munitions, related materials and extensive documentation.

“These findings are a momentous discovery, not just for Syria, but for international security and the global disarmament regime,” Ms. Nakamitsu told the Council.

The discovery closes a long-standing gap in Syria’s accounting of its chemical weapons program.

Since 2014, the OPCW had been unable to confirm that Syria’s declaration – submitted by the government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad – was accurate or complete.

The new Government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa has cooperated closely with inspectors, Ms. Nakamitsu said, facilitating access to sites and providing documentation that made the breakthrough possible.

She stressed that the newly discovered weapons must now be formally declared and destroyed under OPCW verification, and that further inspections of additional sites are needed.

The council noted that Syrians suffered from the use of chemical weapons by the government during the 13-year civil war, but not everyone was convinced of the accuracy of the panel’s finding. Russia said that that the panel was rushing to assign blame with little evidence being submitted for substantiating that claim.