The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Monday, April 12, after an investigation, established that the Syrian Air Force used chlorine, a chemical weapon, in an attack in the city of Saraqueb in 2018.
The OPCW investigative team “Concludes that units of the Syrian Arab Air Force used chemical weapons in Saraqeb on February 4, 2018”, said the organization in a press release. She explains that she carried out an in-depth investigation with, in particular, interviews with witnesses to the scene, analyzes of samples collected at the scene of the attack or the study of satellite images.
Responsible for identifying the perpetrators of chemical attacks, the OPCW’s Identification and Investigation Team (IIT), based in The Hague, determined “That there are reasonable grounds to believe” that “At approximately 9:22 p.m. on February 4, 2018, a military helicopter of the Syrian Air Force, under the control of the Tigre forces, dropped at least one cylinder on the eastern part of Saraqueb. The cylinder ruptured and released chlorine over a large area, affecting twelve people ”, details the report.
The use of chlorine already confirmed by the OPCW
Despite strong objections from Syria and its allies, including Moscow, a majority of OPCW member states in 2018 authorized the organization to designate the perpetrator of a chemical attack and not just document the use of such a weapon. The OPCW had already confirmed, in May 2018, that chlorine had been used in Saraqueb but had not then determined which party to the conflict had used it.
The Syrian government denies any involvement in chemical attacks, saying it has handed over all of its chemical weapons stockpiles to international supervision under a deal reached in 2013.