Syrian Advisor: Israeli Airstrikes Hinder Search for Chemical Weapons

A Syrian government advisor announced on Thursday that Israeli airstrikes on Damascus are hindering efforts to locate and destroy the stockpile of chemical weapons belonging to former President Bashar al-Assad.

The advisor, Ibrahim al-Olabi, who is also a Ministry of Foreign Affairs consultant on chemical weapons, stated that a planned visit by inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has already been postponed.



Al-Olabi further mentioned that the organization will hold an urgent meeting next Tuesday to discuss the situation and the impact of the Israeli attacks.

He also concluded by saying that the Syrian Ministry of Defense has provided the necessary institutional infrastructure to organize and secure visits by inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Israel conducted airstrikes on Damascus on Wednesday, destroying part of the Ministry of Defense headquarters and carrying out strikes near the presidential palace in a move it claimed was aimed at 'protecting the Druze minority in southern Syria'.