Assad May Already Be Using WMDs Against Civilians, Says Defector

The escalating conflict in Syria grew more worrisome to international observers this past week as Western and Israeli officials reported that Damascus was moving chemical weapons from their storage sites, raising questions on the intentions of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and on the future of the deteriorating Syrian rebellion.

Analysts say the move by Damascus was orchestrated to protect the stockpile from a growing insurgency, and also to ensure the West does not intervene in Syria on grounds it was securing potentially dangerous ordnance. Some have speculated Assad may simply be moving the weapons to scare his opponents, to “drive Sunnis thought to be sympathetic to the rebels from their homes,” according to the Journal.
But Nawaf Fares, a Syrian defector and former ambassador to Iraq, told the BBC Tuesday that unconfirmed reports indicate chemical weapons already may have been used by the regime against civilians in Homs, according to RFE/RL News.

“There is information, unconfirmed information of course, that chemical weapons have been used partially in the city of Homs,” Fares said in the interview, Time reported.

The Wall Street Journal first broke news of the Syrian move to relocate the chemical stockpile last Friday, though Damascus denies the claim.

“This is absolutely ridiculous and untrue,” said Syria’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Jihad Makdissi, told the Journal. “If the U.S. is so well informed, why can’t they help Kofi Annan in stopping the flow of illegal weapons to Syria in order to end the violence and move towards the political solution?” he said, referring to the United Nations envoy.

Sarin nerve agent, mustard gas, and cyanide are among the chemicals believed to be in the possession of the Syrian forces, the Journal reported.

Reuters received confirmation from a U.S. national security official that Washington indeed heard of chemical weapons movements in Syria, but was uncertain why they were taking place.

Damascus’s chemical stockpile is widely believed to be the largest in the Middle East.

While news of the possible move has unnerved some analysts, others suggest the movement of the stockpile may signal that Assad is still retaining control of the worsening conflict.

“[He’s making] arrangements to ensure the weapons do not fall into irresponsible hands,” an Israeli official quoted by Reuters said.

“That would support the thinking that this matter has been managed responsibly so far.”

But George Little of the Pentagon said the U.S. and its allies were carefully monitoring the situation to determine the extent of Assad’s plans.

“We would of course caution them (the Syrians) strongly against any intention to use those stockpiles. That would cross a serious red line,” he told Reuters.

For Israel, the concern about Syria’s movement of the weapons stems from its fear the weapons may fall into the hands of Hezbollah or the Shi’ite political party.

But there’s more.

“Israeli defense officials fear that a desperate Assad might try to gas Tel Aviv, hoping to trigger a regional holy war so his regime can survive amid the chaos,” writes Benny Avni in the New York Post. “Yes, Israel has long displayed its air superiority. Its jets used to routinely buzz Assad’s vacation homes — and it destroyed a Syrian nuclear facility a few years back…”

“But if the end is nigh, Assad may well chose to forget those lessons and hope he can shuffle the deck by launching regional Armageddon,” Avni says.

For the U.S., the fear is that Assad may turn the weapons on the rebels and enlarge the 16 month uprising that has already cost more than 15,000 Syrian lives during, according to the latest tallies from opposition leaders and Western governments, JTA reported.

And of course, the movement of such dangerous weapons can raise a number of undesirable circumstances.

“This could set the precedent of WMD [weapons of mass destruction] being used under our watch,” one U.S. official told the Journal. “This is incredibly dangerous to our national security.”

As growing numbers begin to take sides in the Syrian conflict, with government supporters aligning with Assad and defectors joining the Free Syrian Army, the West fears those protecting the chemical stockpile may either be drawn away so as to protect their families, fight to bring down the Assad regime, or defend themselves from advancing rebels.