Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), deployed to Syria in May, have discovered a significant cache of previously undeclared chemical weapons. This cache includes rockets of the type used in the 2013 Ghouta chemical attack, a finding described by the UN’s top disarmament official as a "momentous discovery" for both Syria and international security.
The discovery closes a longstanding gap in Syria’s accounting for its chemical weapons programme, which had been questioned since 2014 due to incomplete declarations by the previous government of Bashar al-Assad. The new Syrian government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has cooperated closely with inspectors by providing access to sites and extensive documentation, reportedly facilitating 32 OPCW visits and submitting over 60,000 pages of documents.
Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN disarmament chief, emphasized that the newly found weapons must be formally declared and destroyed under OPCW verification. She noted that further inspections at additional sites are necessary to complete the process.
Security Council members responded to the findings. The United Kingdom argued the discoveries further prove Assad’s attempts to deceive the international community, while the United States acknowledged Syria's and the OPCW’s flexibility and commitment to resolving the issue. France and Denmark cautioned that these findings may only mark the beginning of revealing the full extent of Syria’s previously hidden chemical weapons program, highlighting the security challenges ahead due to numerous potentially relevant sites.
Russia’s delegate expressed skepticism regarding the speed at which the OPCW appeared to be assigning blame for the newly discovered substances.