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Israeli Report Warns of Syrian Chemical Weapons Available to Hezbollah

A photo of a CERS institute facility, north of Masyaf, according to the Israeli Alma research center.
A photo of a CERS institute facility, north of Masyaf, according to the Israeli Alma research center.
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Israeli Report Warns of Syrian Chemical Weapons Available to Hezbollah

A photo of a CERS institute facility, north of Masyaf, according to the Israeli Alma research center.
A photo of a CERS institute facility, north of Masyaf, according to the Israeli Alma research center.

Experts at the Security Research Institute in northern Israel (Alma) have warned of the danger of Syrian chemical weapons falling into the hands of the Lebanese Hezbollah and other armed militias working with it.

A report circulated to the media stated that the Syrian CERS complex, which officially appears as an institute for civil scientific research, has come under almost absolute Iranian control, and was currently managed by the Lebanese Hezbollah.

The report claimed that the CERS center included about 20,000 Syrian officers and experts in the production of weapons of all kinds, including chemical arms. It was established in the 1980s and has several facilities spread throughout Syria.

At a certain stage, Iranian military experts began to gradually dominate the center, with the goal to develop and produce precision missiles and rockets, cruise missiles, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

In 2013, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly warned of these facilities and the danger of chemical weapons falling into the hands of Hezbollah. Since then, the Syrian Air Force has been bombing them continuously.

But the warning, this time, came as a result of intelligence investigations and academic follow-up and could hint at Israel’s intention to attack the center facilities.

According to the report, Alma sees that stockpiles of weapons left in remote CERS facilities - be it missiles, rockets or mortar shells armed with chemical weapons like nerve gas – could be transferred to Hezbollah during the next war with Israel.

The report pointed to a high possibility that Israel, in the event of a war, will bomb these chemical weapons stores and factories, wherever they are, to prevent Hezbollah from using them.

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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is unwilling to pursue peace in Syria and warned that Israel’s efforts to spread war across the Middle East are undermining the environment fostered by the Astana Process.

Fidan emphasized the importance of Russian and Iranian efforts within the framework of the Astana Process to maintain calm on the ground, pointing to ongoing consultations with the US regarding the Syrian crisis.

Speaking during a parliamentary session discussing the 2025 budget of the Foreign Ministry, Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s expectation that the dialogue proposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be approached strategically by the Syrian government, with priority given to the interests of the Syrian people.

Regarding Erdogan’s invitation to Assad for a meeting to discuss the normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus, Fidan remarked that the matter depends on political will, stressing that the Turkish president has demonstrated his readiness at the highest level.

Last week, Erdogan reiterated the possibility of a meeting with Assad, but Russia, which mediates the normalization talks between Ankara and Damascus, ruled out such a meeting or high-level engagements in the near future.

Russian Presidential Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev attributed the impasse to Türkiye’s refusal to meet Damascus’ demand for a withdrawal from northern Syria, accusing Ankara of acting as an “occupying state”.

Although Türkiye has not officially responded to Lavrentiev’s comments, which reflect a shift in Russia’s stance, Fidan stated in a televised interview last week that Russia remains “somewhat neutral” regarding the normalization process. He also urged the Syrian government to create conditions for the return of 10 million Syrian refugees.

Türkiye maintains that its military presence in northern Syria prevents the country’s division, blocks the establishment of a “terror corridor” along its southern border, and deters new waves of refugees from entering its territory.

Fidan outlined his country’s key objectives in Syria, which include eradicating terrorist groups (such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Syrian Democratic Forces), preserving Syria’s territorial unity, advancing the political process, and ensuring the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, Turkish artillery targeted villages and positions controlled by the Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose main component is the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

On Friday, fierce clashes erupted between the Syrian National Army factions and the SDF in western Tel Abyad, northern Raqqa. Simultaneously, Turkish artillery strikes reportedly killed two SDF members and injured others, with reports of captives and missing personnel.

In retaliation, the SDF shelled Turkish bases in the Ain Issa countryside. Turkish forces responded by deploying military reinforcements amid heightened alert at their bases in Raqqa’s countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).