JERUSALEM (JTA) — Syrian forces have used chemical weapons against rebel forces and civilians, the head of Israel’s military research said.
The weapon likely is sarin-based, which targets the nervous system and can cause paralysis or death, Brig. Gen Itai Baron, the head of the Israel Defense Forces Military Intelligence Research Branch, said Tuesday.
Baron told a conference of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv that intelligence photos of the weapons’ victims, with foam coming from their mouths and dilated pupils, as well as photos of the areas affected by the weapons’ attack, led to the conclusion that chemical weapons had been used, Haaretz reported.
The photos were taken during two incidents near Damascus on March 19; Western intelligence officials have said they believe that Syria used chemical weapons in the incidents.
President Obama has called the use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar Assad a "red line" that would lead to U.S. involvement in the two-year civil war.
