Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — For the first time, Israel has provided details of Syrian
Army chemical weapons attacks on Sunni rebels.

Officials said Military Intelligence has determined that Syrian
President Bashar Assad was ordering CW attacks on the rebels in several
areas around Syria. They said several CW agents were used in reduced form to
prevent mass casualties.

“To the best of our professional understanding, the regime has made use
of deadly chemical weapons against the rebels in a number of incidents in
the past few months,” MI research director Brig. Gen. Itai Brun said.

In an address to the Institute for National Security Studies on April
23, Brun said CW was used in a Syrian Army attack in Aleppo on March 19. At the time, the Syrian opposition said 31 people were killed by CW munitions.

Hours later, Brun’s assessment of Syrian CW attacks was released by the
Israel Army. Brun said the Syrian Army was using several CW agents,
particularly sarin, regarded as highly toxic.

“The reduced pupils, the foam coming out of the mouth and other
additional signs provide evidence that deadly chemical weapons have been
used,” Brun said. “Which chemical weapons? Apparently sarin. The regime is also using chemical weapons that neutralize and are not fatal.”

Officials said the Assad regime has accumulated a stockpile of 1,000
tons of CW agents. They said many of Syria’s artillery rockets and ballistic
missiles were designed to contain CW warheads.

“One of the characteristics of the recent period is the growing use by
the regime of surface-to-surface missiles, rockets and chemical weapons,”
Brun said.

The United States has refused to confirm reports, including those of
NATO allies, of Assad’s CW attacks. Britain and France have already supplied
soil samples and other evidence of CW use to the United Nations Security
Council.

“We should also carefully and collectively consider how NATO is prepared
to respond to protect its members from a Syrian threat, including any
potential chemical weapons threat,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said.

  ‘apparently sarin’, Bashar Assad, Brig. Gen. Itai Brun, Israeli intel: Chemical weapons, sarin, used by Syria in Aleppo attack