Report: Dozens dead in Syrian chemical weapons experiment
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 | Email this to a friend | Print this
Posted by John Higgins under: Perilous Times, Syria and Damascus
Jane’s Magazine reports Syrian officers, Iranian engineers attempting to mount chemical warhead on Scud missile killed in accident which took place in secret location about two months ago
Perilous Times
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,deceiving, and being deceived”
—2 Timothy 3:13″
Syria and Damascus
“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.”
—Isaiah 17:1
Dozens of Syrian military officers and Iranian engineers were killed about two months ago in an a chemical weapons accident, Jane’s Magazine reported Monday, revealing new details on the incident which took place in a secret weapons facility.
According to the report by the British magazine, the explosion occurred early in the morning on July 26, in a factory in the city of Halab, as the officers were attempting to mount a chemical warhead with mustard gas on a Scud-C missile.
A fire which started in the missile’s engine led to an explosion near a storage location of chemical substances. The blast spread lethal chemical agents, including mustard gas, VX gas and sarin nerve gas, which are considered extremely toxic and are banned for use according to international treaties.
Jane’s Magazine reports that the explosion killed 15 Syrian officers and dozens of Iranian engineers who were in the facility. Dozens of people were injured.
The incident was reported at the time by Syria’s official news agency, but the report only included information on the Syrian casualties and did not mention the Iranian representatives.
The Syrian report also claimed that the explosion was caused by a “heat wave” in the country, although the blast took place at around 4:30 am, and that the Syrian government rejected the possibility of sabotage.
According to the British magazine, the facility where the accident took place was built as part of a cooperation agreement signed between Syria and Iran in 2005. The joint activity included technological supply and assistance from Syria to Iran.
A Western diplomatic source reported in the past that in exchange, Tehran was providing Damascus with means that would enable it to independently produce chemical weapons, including help in planning and building facilities and carrying out chemical weapons experiments in a number of locations. According to the source, the cost of the project was estimated at millions of dollars.
Syria is currently in the midst of a PR battle aimed at denying the allegations that it has nuclear ties with Iran and North Korea. On Tuesday, Syrian Expatriate Affairs Minister Bussaina Shaaban said that the allegations of nuclear cooperation between Syria and North Korea which led to the reported Israeli overflight were “an orchestra of lies”.
In an interview with the Iranian Fars news agency, the minister denied reports in Israeli and American media that suggested Pyongyang was helping Damascus build a nuclear installation in the country and said that “Syria maintains the right to respond when and where it sees fit.”
Jeff Calvert says Comment posted on September 20th, 2007
Iraq had these weapons and hid them in Syria..so the Syrians got the Iranians to help them use them..and use them they did;unfortunetly for them, it exploded and killed a dozen of them…so what do you say…OOPS. You will not threaten the children of Israel and not have God intervene…
Kevin Wilson says Comment posted on September 20th, 2007
Amen Brother Jeff!
I think Syria received nuclear material from North Korea as well. Why else would North Korea agree to dismantle their nuclear facilities? And then just weeks later the Israels claim there are nuke missles in Syria, so they took them out! Israel seems to have the best inteligence network in the world, and they act on it, FAST! I wish we could be so swift in our actions, if we were, we probably would have found WMD’s in Iraq, but it took too long for us to get there most likely allowing Iraq to move their WMD’s to Syria…In the world they say knowledge is power and timing is everything, I pray that God would grant our leaders both as we help to protect Israel.
In Christ
Kevin