IDF official says Assad used chemical weapons

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons - likely nerves gas - on armed rebels in the civil war raging in his country, the head of the research division at military intelligence Brig.-Gen. Itay Brun told a defense conference at Tel Aviv University on Tuesday, April 23.

Brun told said the iNSS conference that there is increasing use of chemical weapons in Syria, and that the Syrian army is firing hundreds of rockets and missiles at civilians, The Jerusalem Post reported

"There's a huge arsenal of chemical weapons in Syria. Our assessment is that the [Assad] regime has used and is using chemical weapons," Brun said.

Photos of victims showing foam coming out of their mouths and contracted pupils were signs deadly gas had been used, Brun said. "To the best of our understanding, there was use of lethal chemical weapons. Which chemical weapons? Probably Sarin."

Brun also warned that the use of weapons of mass destruction could be interpreted by the Assad regime as a legitimate act as a result of the lack of any response from the world to it.

"How this develops is a good question. We need to be very concerned with the fact chemical weapons might reach less responsible hands that don't consider the consequences of their actions," he cautioned.

Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the BBC that Israel is prepared to defend itself should Syrian President Bashar Assad's chemical weapons and anti-aircraft weapons fall into the wrong hands.