The Syrian army has tested a chemical weapons delivery system, firing shells at a research centre in its northwestern desert region, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Monday citing “witnesses”.
“Five or six empty shells devised for delivering chemical agents were fired by tanks and aircraft, at a site called Diraiham in the desert near the village of Khanasir,” east of the city of Aleppo, the periodical reported.
The Safira research centre in question is regarded as Syria’s largest testing site for chemical weapons. It is officially referred to as a “scientific research centre.”
Iranian officers, believed to be members of the Revolutionary Guards, were flown in by helicopter for the testing, according to the witness statements cited.
Scientists from Iran and North Korea are said to work in the expansive, fenced-off complex. According to Western intelligence agencies, they produce deadly chemical agents such as sarin and mustard gas.
Last month French President Francois Hollande warned that the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime would be a legitimate reason for a foreign intervention.