big stocks of lethal agents

Syria is believed to have sizable stocks of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and sarin, and possibly also VX nerve agent, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a US-based non-partisan WMD monitoring group.

Chemical weapons agents have been produced since the 1980s at facilities located near Hama, Homs, and the Al-Safira villages in the Aleppo region.

Iran has been identified as a major supplier of Syrian chemical weapons

Syria signed an agreement with Iran in 2005 that specifies, among other things, the construction of five chemical pilot plant facilities for developing and producing precursor chemicals.

Syria also possesses large numbers of missiles capable of being fitted with chemical warheads.