Syria Rebels: Assad Regime Moved Chemical Weapons Near Border
Syrian rebels said Tuesday that government forces have moved chemical weapons to airports near the country’s borders - a day after the regime warned it could use them if Syria is attacked by an external force.
On Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman, Jihad Makdisi, warned that Syria will “not use any chemical or other unconventional weapons against its civilians, and will only use them in case of external aggression.”
Syria’s comments sparked wide-scale international condemnation and prompted US President Barack Obama to warn Syria not to make the “tragic mistake” of using such weapons.
“We have confirmed information that the weapons were moved to airports located at the borders of Syria,” Brigadier Kassem Saeddine, of the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) said Tuesday.
“Most of us in the Free Syrian Army command know very well where these weapons are located and now we have solid information that (Syrian President Bashar) al-Assad has transferred some of these weapons with the equipment for mixing chemical components to airports near the border,” he told the Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera.
The FSA said that the weapons had been moved in a bid to pressure the international community.