In a Feb. 18 statement, Jane's said it had analyzed the imagery to track the
construction of the Syrian CW site from 2005 through 2008. The magazine said
it was certain that the facility in Al Safir was a military rather than a
pharmaceutical plant.
"One of the clearest indicators that Al Safir is a military facility as
opposed to a civilian industrial complex is the level of defenses protecting
the site," Jane's said. "The facility is accessed only through a military
checkpoint and each element within the facility has an additional security
point."
Syria has long wielded a CW arsenal as well as a biological
warfare capability. But analysts said Al Safir marked the largest CW
facility in Syria and appeared meant to deter any Israeli strike.
"Construction at the Al Safir facility appears to be the most
significant chemical weapons production, storage and weaponization site in
Syria," Christian Le Mière, editor of Jane's Intelligence Review, said. "Its
presence indicates Syria's desire to develop unconventional weapons either
to act as a deterrent to conflict with Israel or as a force enhancer should
any conflict ensue."
Le Mière said the satellite imagery suggests that Damascus has sought to
expand Al Safir and its chemical weapons arsenal. He said he did
not expect an Israeli effort to destroy the facility as it bombed the
suspected nuclear weapons center in northeastern Syria in 2007.
"Further expansion of Al Safir is likely to antagonize Israel and
highlight mutual mistrust, even as peace talks between the two neighbors
progress intermittently," Le Mière said. "Although an Israeli air strike on
the facility may not yet be likely, such developments only serve to
underline and exacerbate regional tensions."