Syria Arrests Former Chemical Weapons Expert

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, July 16, 2026

Syrian authorities arrested Colonel Ahmed Habib Ali, a former military officer accused of overseeing sarin gas production and deployment during attacks between 2013 and 2017. This arrest aligns with Syria’s recent return to the OPCW and represents one of the initial steps toward prosecuting former regime members for war crimes amid ongoing efforts to address accountability for the civil war.

Syrian authorities announced the arrest of a former military officer identified as a chemical weapons specialist on Wednesday, accusing him of involvement in the manufacture and deployment of sarin gas during the regime of ousted President Bashar Al-Assad. The Interior Ministry named the detainee as Colonel Ahmed Habib Ali, describing him as responsible for sarin storage facilities and chemical weapons production at Unit 417, a significant chemical weapons depot near Damascus.

According to the ministry, Ali oversaw the production of approximately 20 sarin-loaded bombs, each weighing 250 kilograms, which were allegedly used in multiple attacks targeting Syrian cities and towns in 2013 and 2017. The first attack, in August 2013, was the deadliest, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,400 civilians, including men, women, and children, according to U.S. intelligence and human rights organizations. That attack occurred amid intense conflict between government forces and opposition fighters, prompting the Syrian government to agree to surrender its chemical weapons stockpile in an effort to avert U.S. military strikes.

Subsequent accusations have been made against Damascus for conducting four additional chemical attacks between 2014 and 2017 using both sarin and chlorine gas on opposition-held areas. The Syrian government has consistently denied these allegations.

The arrest of Colonel Ali follows Syria’s recent reinstatement to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which had revoked the country’s voting rights in 2021 after determining that the Syrian air force had used chemical agents against civilians. This development comes amid broader efforts by Syria’s judiciary to conduct public trials dating back to April of former officials charged with crimes committed during the 13-year civil war that erupted in 2011 after widespread protests were violently suppressed.

Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, authorities in Syria have detained numerous individuals accused of war crimes and other offenses tied to the conflict. These proceedings mark one of the first formal attempts to hold members of the previous government accountable as the country seeks accountability for its prolonged and devastating civil war.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.