Syrian army is ready to use chemical Sarin bombs from bomber aircraft against the rebels 0612121

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Defense News - Syria
 
 
Thursday, December 6, 2012, 05:31 AM
 
Syrian army is ready to use chemical Sarin bombs from bomber aircraft against the rebels.
Syria's army has loaded bombs with chemical weapons and is awaiting President Bashar Assad's order to use them on his own people, NBC News reported Wednesday, December 5, 2012. The military is prepared to deploy the bombs, which contain the precursor chemicals for the deadly sarin nerve gas, from dozens of fighter-bombers as soon as Assad gives the order.
     
Syria's army has loaded bombs with chemical weapons and is awaiting President Bashar Assad's order to use them on his own people, NBC News reported Wednesday, December 5, 2012. The military is prepared to deploy the bombs, which contain the precursor chemicals for the deadly sarin nerve gas, from dozens of fighter-bombers as soon as Assad gives the order.
A Syrian soldier aims his rifle during clashes in the Damascus suburb of Daraya on Sunday. There is frequent fighting in and around Damascus, and residents are increasingly worried about a major battle for the capital.
     

Sarin is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations, and its production and stockpiling is outlawed under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.

U.S. President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other world leaders have warned Assad the use of chemical weapons is a red line that would bring strong consequences.

Syrian forces earlier Wednesday pressed a counteroffensive against rebels near Damascus as a report indicated the regime army was weakening against rebel gains.

Western officials and military analysts told The Washington Post the Syrian army was showing serious cracks as emboldened rebels notched new victories and regime forces retrenched.

Opposition troop successes stem, in part, from funding and weapons from wealthy Arab Persian Gulf donors and Syrian businessmen outside the country, the Post said.

They also reflect the degraded state of the Syrian army, which appears low on supplies and morale, analysts told the newspaper.

Troops loyal to Assad and rebel forces clashed in several southern Damascus suburbs where rebels have scored several tactical victories in recent days, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

They also fought as opposition troops advanced toward Damascus International Airport, the British-based Observatory said.

Rebels and regime forces also clashed around the strategically important Wadi al-Deif military base near the northwestern city of Maarat al-Numaan that earlier saw Syrian jet fighters bombing attacking rebels, activists said.

The fighting came a day after a mortar attack on an elementary school 10 miles north of Damascus killed at least 15 people and perhaps 30.
     
The two main sites are in the cities of Masyaf and al-Safir, in northern Syria, where chemical munitions are produced and Scud missiles and launch ramps are stationed.
Map of suspected production sites of chemical weapons in Syria
     
Syria probably started producing chemical weapons in the 1980s. The original idea was to deploy them in the event of a war with Israel. Later, the weapons were only intended to be used as a deterrent.

They initially consisted of bombs that were filled with sarin gas and designed to be dropped by aircraft. Warheads for Scud missiles were also subsequently developed, and it's now believed that Syria has roughly 700 of these weapons. According to Israeli intelligence sources, most of the expertise came from the Soviet Union and the former Czechoslovakia, but private companies from Japan and Western Europe also reportedly aided the Syrians.

The chemical-weapons depots are among the best-secured locations in all of Syria. Assad's army controls checkpoints on the access roads already kilometers before the gates, and the depots themselves are shielded by two ironclad rings of protective fences and guards. The troops who are responsible for guarding these facilities rank among the regime's loyalest supporters.

The two main sites are in the cities of Masyaf and al-Safir, in northern Syria, where chemical munitions are produced and Scud missiles and launch ramps are stationed.

Located in a valley some 20 kilometers southeast of Aleppo, the al-Safir complex is said to be the largest and most important chemical-weapons facility in all of Syria. A total of three production plants operate in an area that covers five square kilometers (two square miles). Sprinkler installations, a cooling system and two large underground tanks suggest that al-Safir is no ordinary military base. In its northeastern and northwestern corners, the grounds are protected by Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles, which are supposed to offer comprehensive protection against airstrikes.