More than 100 chemical weapons sites remain in Syria, according to a global organization which tracks this specific type of weapons. These estimations by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), as initially reported by the New York Times, followed an assessment of sites left behind by the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
The report assessed the remains of Assad’s military infrastructure, months after the country transitioned. According to the report, the remaining sites exceed any preconceived numbers, with a figure which is significantly higher than those acknowledged by al-Assad himself.
In the Syrian civil war’s earliest days, Assad’s government only disclosed the locations of 27 sites to the OPCW. He continued to use these weapons through at least 2018 and continued to import the chemicals to produce the weapons.
These sites include any facility involved in the manufacturing, distribution, research, and storage of various chemical weapons that the fallen Syrian dictator was known to have used. Among the examples include chlorine gas and sarin, an extremely toxic nerve agent which is both colorless and odorless.
Many of these weapons were used against rebel groups and Syrian civilians over more than a decade, leading to the deaths of more than 50,000 people.
Undisclosed weapon storage sites more than doubled by Assad's account
The number of sites has been a major question. Their security is as big of a question, and presents an obstacle for the country’s current leadership, largely composed of members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has been designated a terror organization by the United States and the UN Security Council among others.
The weapons themselves pose a major risk, especially raising stakes when used in densely populated areas. Chlorine and mustard gas burn eyes and skin and fill lungs with fluid, drowning victims outside of a body of water. Sarin has the ability to kill within minutes.
Sarin gas is also prohibited by international law.
Now, experts have raised concerns for what could happen if these facilities are accessed by rebel groups.
A surprise visit in February 2025 from the United Nations’ chemical weapons watchdog lead Syria’s foreign minister to say that the government would “destroy any remains of the chemical weapons program developed under the Assad regime” in compliance with international law.
“There are many locations that we don’t know about because the old regime was lying to the OPCW.,” Raed al-Saleh, Syria’s Minister of Emergencies and Disasters, told NYT.
The calculation of the current estimate, above 100 sites, was calculated through the watchdog organization as well as outside researchers, NGOs, and intelligence by participating countries. The report notes that many of the sites are likely hidden in caves and locations which are difficult to spot via satellite images.
According to NYT, Syria’s current government has already allowed a team from the watchdog to enter the country, but has yet to appoint an ambassador to the watchdog. This raises questions about the new government’s commitment.
Official documentation shows that one of the most notorious instances of chemical weapon usage was a 2013 sarin gas assault on the Damascus-area suburb of Ghouta.
Airstrikes throughout Syria launched by the Israeli Air Force presented risks after the strikes destroyed locations known for storing these weapons, but it is unclear if the weapons themselves were destroyed.