Jerusalem: Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons is “under the full control” of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, a top Israeli defence official said on Tuesday.
“At the moment, the Syrian regime is fighting for its very existence, but all of its chemical weapons and its weapons of mass destruction are under full control of the regime,” Amos Gilad said in an interview on public radio.
“The fear is that if the regime is shaken, its control (over these weapons) will also be shaken,” he said.
His remarks were made shortly after Syrian rebels accused Assad of moving some of his chemical weapons to the border area, a day after Damascus warned it would use them if it came under foreign attack.
“We also reveal that Assad has transferred some of these weapons and equipment for mixing chemical components to airports on the border,” a rebel statement said.
Gilad dismissed the report as having “no significance.”
“According to our information, Hezbollah has not received any chemical weapons from Syria and there has not been any transfer of chemical weapons to terror organisations like Al-Qaeda,” he said.
“Israel citizens can remain calm, they don’t need to change their way of life or give in to hysteria,” he said.
His remarks were made two days after Defence Minister Ehud Barak warned that Israel would not tolerate the transfer of advanced weapons from Syria to Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
“The state of Israel cannot accept the transfer of advanced weapons systems from Syria to Lebanon,” Barak said on Sunday, warning that such a scenario could spark an Israeli military response. (AFP)