Syria begins destroying al-Assad-era chemical weapons materials

Syrian authorities undertake ⁠first such destruction in over a decade as former government officials face trial.Syria has begun ‌destroying the remnants of a clandestine chemical weapons programme created under former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Syrian and United Nations officials have said.This includes raw materials and munitions similar to those used in deadly gas attacks during the country’s civil war, diplomats said at the United Nations Security Council on Thursday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Qatar says efforts under way to end Iran-US war and reopen Strait of Hormuzlist 2 of 3Israel’s multiple wars see finance, defence ministries clash over spendinglist 3 of 3IAEA says Syria built a nuclear reactor in Deir Az Zor under al-Assadend of listUN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi ⁠Nakamitsu told a UN Security Council briefing that for the first time since 2014, the Organisation for the Prohibition of chemical weapons (OPCW) had verified the destruction of chemical munitions in Syria.Syria’s new leadership had located ⁠remnants of al-Assad’s chemical weapons programme in May. Following the finding, Syria had ‌found “one additional chemical weapons production facility, a newly discovered chemical used in the production of nerve agents, and empty chemical munitions”, Nakamitsu said.“It also declared two chemical weapons storage facilities where the newly discovered facilities were being stored,” she added.Last month, the OPCW deployed a team to Syria to verify the destruction of “category-three” chemical weapons, defined as unfilled munitions and other equipment used to release chemical weapons. Nakamitsu ⁠said the team verified “the irreversible destruction of 42 aerial bombs” ⁠as part of that mission.“This is the very first destruction process since we have been liberated from the previous regime,” Syria’s UN envoy Ibrahim Olabi also told the briefing. “It’s also the first of its kind to destroy chemical materials on Syrian territory for over a decade.”