Syria chemical weapons

Syria’s post-Assad gov't faces a defining test of accountability over chemical weapons - analysis

According to SANA, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani announced that Syria is beginning “a new phase” in dealing with the country’s chemical weapons legacy.

AUGUST 24, 2026|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Images of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad, are riddled with bullet holes as fighters of the ruling Syrian body inspect the damage at a military site, in Damascus on December 14, 2024.

Former Syrian army Col. Ahmad Habib Ali is seen in detention following his arrest by Syrian authorities. Syria's Interior Ministry says he supervised the production of sarin-filled aerial bombs used in attacks between 2013 and 2017.

Syria arrests former officer accused of overseeing production of sarin bombs

Potential charges could include murder and participation in the use of prohibited weapons, as well as war crimes or crimes against humanity if supported by evidence.

JULY 17, 2026|ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE, THE MEDIA LINE STAFF

Syrian officials find remnants of chemical weapons program from Assad regime era - report

The country’s government had “located remnants of former Syrian ‌president Bashar al-Assad's clandestine chemical weapons program, including raw materials and munitions."

MAY 26, 2026|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, attends the preparatory ministerial meeting for emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha, Qatar September 14, 2025.

Qatar, Ireland accuse Israel of using chemical weapons on Palestinians, demand watchdog probe use

Qatar and Ireland demanded that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) investigate Israel's use of chemical weapons in Gaza and the West Bank.

NOVEMBER 26, 2025|ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN

Iranian-backed militias reach Iraq-Syria border

In lightning offensive, Iraqi forces carve out strategic corridor from Baghdad to Syria.

MAY 30, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Shi'ite fighters from Mahdi Army launch rockets during heavy fighting against Islamic state members at Bo Hassan village, near Tikrit in northern Iraq.

Analysis: Syria, a modern day Holocaust?

US accused the Syrian regime of using a crematorium to dispose of bodies to cover up extent of mass murders.

MAY 16, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

People stand near near rubble of damaged buildings in the northern Aleppo countryside in Syria in December 2016

Success in 100 Days

MAY 8, 2017BySOLOMON SCHOONOVER

Assad behind April 4 chemical attack, French intelligence confirms

Among the elements found in the samples were hexamine, a hallmark of sarin produced by the Syrian government.

APRIL 26, 2017ByREUTERS

Employees of the Research Institute for Protective Technologies, Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection (WIS) inspect a dummy sample which is contaminated with a substance similar to the chemical weapon Sarin.

Russia complains to US over exclusion from Syria chemical probe

Trump said last week that relations with Moscow "may be at an all-time low."

APRIL 22, 2017ByREUTERS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during a news conference following their talks in Moscow, Russia, April 12, 2017.

Comment: The bizarre world of the Assad apologists club

The underlying reality of the Assad Apologists Club is that it primarily sees Syrians as not deserving of the same rights people in London or New York enjoy.

APRIL 12, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

A Syrian national flag flutters as the ruins of the historic city of Palmyra are seen in the background, in Homs Governorate, Syria April 1, 2016.

Analysis: Trump's strikes on Syria and the muddled strategy behind them

While US President Donald Trump has made a bold decision in ordering the airstrike on Syria following the chemical attack, what policy, if any, stands behind the move?

APRIL 11, 2017ByMICHAEL WILNER