The director of the White Helmets, the Syrian civil defence organisation operating in opposition-held areas, has warned that Syria’s authoritarian President Bashar Al-Assad could soon use chemical weapons on civilians to stop rebels who are advancing in the northwest of the country.
Raed Al-Saleh made the comments on Tuesday during a UN Security Council meeting raising alarm over the Syrian regime’s expected retaliation to the lightning rebel advance..
Al-Saleh, who has raised awareness for years regarding the Syrian regime’s attacks on civilians, urged for the protection of people in the country.
"For six days now, as the map of military control has changed, brutal attacks launched by the Syrian regime, Russia, and Iranian cross-border militias on Syrians have escalated especially in areas outside their control in northwest Syria" he said, noting that the White Helmets have responded to 275 attacks while over 100 people have been killed in recent days.
"I am gravely concerned about the lives of every Syrian because of the real threat of chemical attacks," he continued.
This comes as Syrian opposition fighters have seized cities and towns in an offensive dubbed "Operation Deter the Aggression," which is being carried out by an alliance led by the hardline Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group.
The rebels say their operation was launched in response to Russian and Iranian-backed regime strikes targeting Syria’s northwest in recent weeks.
They say their offensive, aims to "secure the return of the displaced, end the rule of corruption and tyranny and build a new Syria that accommodates all its people".
Chemical attacks
Al-Saleh said the Syrian regime has a long history of using chemical weapons against civilians, giving the example of Douma in the Damascus countryside in 2018.
He added that a report from the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons found that the Syrian regime admitted to continuing the production and development of chemical weapons.
"This is a dangerous indicator of the safety of civilians and a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2118 and the Chemical Weapons Convention" Al-Saleh said.
"The failure of the international community to hold the regime accountable for these violations puts civilians at risk of chemical attacks at any moment" he added.
He used his speech to also call on Russia to stop obstructing international decisions and efforts that have been made to address the use of chemical weapons.
According to Al-Saleh, Russia has also been protecting the Syrian regime and spreading disinformation about the White Helmets.
Raising the alarm over the looming threat of chemical weapons, Al-Saleh demanded that urgent steps are taken to protect humanitarian workers, civilians and first responders from Syrian regime attacks.
Rebel advances
As Syrian rebels have advanced to key cities in recent days, amid a surprise offensive which has seen them take over almost all of northwestern Syria, regime forces and Russia have responded with dozens of airstrikes.
The attacks on the rebels have triggered a huge wave of displacement and unrest.
Alarmed by the spread of conflict and apparent threat to Assad’s control, Iran, a key backer of Assad also said on Tuesday it would consider sending troops to Syria if asked to do so.
The White Helmets has in recent days have carried out rescue work after airstrikes which have targeted a university, a church, residential areas and public squares, which they have called a flagrant violation of International Humanitarian Law.