TruthNews

Syria-Iran Chemical Weapons Mishap Killed Dozens In July

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, 19 Sep 2007

A report from Jane’s Defense Weekly surfaced on Monday that a Syrian-Iranian team engaged in joint efforts to build weapons of mass destruction sparked a chemical weapons accident on July 23 in Syria that killed dozens of Iranian engineers and 15 Syrian officers.

Israel TV's Channel 10 also reported that a joint team of Syrian and Iranian engineers trying to place a chemical warhead on a Scud missile triggered an explosion that leaked deadly chemicals and gas.

Although the accident was reported immediately, details and any Iranian connection were concealed by the Syrian government.

These disclosures follow an Israeli bombing raid on a Syrian bunker allegedly containing a new shipment of nuclear components from North Korea.

Ever since the eve of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Syria has developed a chemical warfare capability that is considered one of the most sophisticated and extensive chemical weapons programs in the Middle East. Syria has entered a mutual defense pact with Iran and would be expected to target Israel with its large ballistic missile arsenal, possibly armed with sarin gas or other chemical or biological warheads, in the event of an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Tehran's renegade nuclear program.

Meantime, the Fars news agency reported Wednesday that the deputy commander of Iran's air force said that plans have been drawn up to bomb Israel by ballistic missile and long-range bombers if it attacked Iran. "We have drawn up a plan to strike back at Israel with our bombers if this regime (Israel) makes a silly mistake," warned the deputy air force chief, Gen. Mohammad Alavi was quoted as saying.

Last week, an Iranian official warned that Iran had 600 missiles "pointed at Israel" in case of a pre-emptive strike by the US or Israel.