Syria: Destruction of Syrian chemical munitions - UNODA Briefing | United Nations

UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu told the Council today (03 Sep) that the OPCW's May 2026 deployment led to the discovery of previously undeclared chemical weapons, prompting Syria to submit amendments to its initial declaration in June. “The Syrian Arab Republic declared 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 materials were being stored.” She said an OPCW team deployed to Syria in August to verify the destruction of Category 3 chemical weapons, conducting Article IV verification activities at storage and destruction facilities. “The OPCW verified that inventories matched recent declarations by the Syrian Arab Republic and verified the irreversible destruction of 42 aerial bombs,” she said. “This significant development means that for the first time since 2014, the OPCW has verified the destruction of chemical munitions from the Syrian Arab Republic,” Nakamitsu said. “As reported by the OPCW Director-General, this is a result of the close collaboration between the Syrian government and the OPCW Technical Secretariat.” Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, called the operation “a historic moment - the start of the destruction of some of the chemical materials found in Syria, as part of the verification procedures of the Technical Secretariat” of the OPCW. “This is the first destruction operation since Syria's liberation from the former regime, but it is also the first destruction of chemical munitions on Syrian soil in more than a decade,” he said, adding that it proved a file that for years was “a source of danger to Syrians and to the world” but could become “a model of what diplomacy - coupled with resolve, sincere will and a spirit of international cooperation - can achieve on the ground.” The cooperation, he said, amounted to “a deep political shift in Syria's approach to salvaging the multilateral system." Olabi said repeated Israeli attacks had obstructed search-and-destruction operations, halting them entirely at points and forcing the cancellation of flights, putting Syrian national teams, OPCW teams and the sites being secured at risk. “We cannot safeguard the region's security while our own security is under threat from Israel,” he said. “Nor can we safeguard the international system while Israel rides roughshod over international law.”


For more information or to watch video on YouTube, click here!