Syria and weapons of mass destruction Syria has researched , manufactured , and used weapons of mass destruction . On September 14 , 2013 , the United States and Russia announced an agreement that would lead to the elimination of Syria ' s chemical weapon stockpiles by mid - 2014 . History . On July 23 , 2012 Syria implicitly confirmed it possessed a stockpile of chemical weapons which it says are reserved for national defense against foreign countries . During the Syrian civil war in August 2012 , the Syrian military restarted chemical weapons testing at a base on the outskirts of Aleppo . Chemical weapons were a major point of discussion between the Syrian government and world leaders , with military intervention being considered by the West as a potential consequence of the use of such weapons . Chemical weapons . Syria ' s chemical weapons program began in the 1970s with weapons and training from Egypt and the Soviet Union , with production of chemical weapons in Syria beginning in the mid - 1980s . In September 2013 Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention ( formally acceding on 14 October ) , and agreed to the destruction of its weapons , to be supervised by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons , as required by the Convention . Syria had been one of a handful of states which had not ratified the Convention , and joined after international condemnation of the August 2013 Ghouta chemical attack , which Western states held the Syrian government responsible for ( whilst Syria and Russia held the Syrian rebels of the Syrian civil war responsible ) . Prior to September 2013 Syria had not publicly admitted to possessing chemical weapons , although Western intelligence services believed it to hold one of the world ' s largest stockpiles . In September 2013 , French intelligence put the Syrian stockpile at 1 , 000 tonnes , including Yperite , VX and " several hundred tonnes of sarin " . In October 2013 , the OPCW found a total of 1 , 300 tons of chemical weapons . Biological Weapons . Syria is generally considered not to have biological weapons . However there are some reports of an active biological weapons research and production program . According to NATO Consultant Dr Jill Dekker , Syria has worked on : anthrax , plague , tularemia , botulism , smallpox , aflatoxin , cholera , ricin and camelpox , and has used Russian help in installing anthrax in missile warheads . She also stated " they view their bio - chemical arsenal as part of a normal weapons program " . Nuclear Program . Syria is a party to the Nuclear Non - Proliferation Treaty and maintains a civil nuclear program . On September 6 , 2007 , Israel unilaterally bombed a site in Syria which it believed had hosted a nuclear reactor under construction . U . S . intelligence officials claimed low confidence that the site was meant for weapons development . Syrian President Bashar al - Assad has said the site in discussion was just " a military site under construction " and that Syria ' s goal is a nuclear - free Middle East . Syria allowed the IAEA to visit the site on June 23 , 2008 , taking environmental samples that revealed the presence of man - made uranium and other materials consistent with a reactor . On May 24 , 2011 , IAEA Director General Amano released a report which assessed that the destroyed facility was a reactor , and the IAEA Board of Governors voted 17 - 6 ( with 11 abstentions ) to report this as non - compliance to the UN Security Council . Open nuclear programs . Syria is a signatory to the Nuclear Non - Proliferation Treaty and has repeatedly attempted to purchase small research type nuclear reactors from China , Russia , Argentina , or other countries . Despite these purchases being openly disclosed and IAEA monitored , international pressure has caused all these reactor purchases to be cancelled . Syria has open and IAEA monitored nuclear research programs including a Chinese made non - reactor miniature neutron source . On November 26 , 2008 the IAEA Board of Governors approved technical aid for Syria despite Western allegations that the country had a secret atomic program that could eventually be used to make weapons . China , Russia and developing nations , criticized Western " political interference " that they said undermined the IAEA ' s programme to foster civilian atomic energy development . The top U . N . nuclear official also strongly rebuked Western powers for trying to deny the request , saying this shouldn ' t be done without evidence and merely on the existence of an investigation . Alleged nuclear reactor . Bombing of alleged reactor . On September 6 , 2007 , Israel bombed an officially unidentified site in Syria which it believed had been a nuclear reactor under construction . It was further claimed that the nuclear reactor was not yet operational and no nuclear material had been introduced into it . Top U . S . intelligence officials claimed low confidence that the site was meant for weapons development , noting that there was no reprocessing facility at the site . Western press reports asserted that the Israeli air strike followed a shipment delivery to Syria by a North Korean freighter , and that North Korea was suspected to be supplying a reactor to Syria for a nuclear weapons program . On October 24 , 2007 the Institute for Science and International Security released a report which identified a site in eastern Syria ' s Deir ez - Zor Governorate province as the suspected reactor . The report speculated about similarities between the Syrian building and North Korea ' s Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center , but said that it was too early to make a definitive comparison . On October 25 , 2007 , Western media said the main building and any debris from it following the air strike had been completely dismantled and removed by the Syrians . After refusing to comment on the reports for six months , the Bush administration briefed Congress and the IAEA on April 24 , 2008 , saying that the U . S . Government was " convinced " that Syria had been building a " covert nuclear reactor " that was " not intended for peaceful purposes . " The briefing included releases of satellite photographs of the bombed site and overhead and ground level intelligence photographs of the site under construction , including the alleged reactor vessel steel shell before concrete was poured and of the alleged reactor head structure . Reaction to allegations . On June 23 , 2008 , IAEA inspectors were allowed to visit the Dair Alzour site ( also referred to as Al Kibar ) , and take samples of the debris . On November 19 , 2008 an IAEA report stated that " a significant number of natural uranium particles " produced as a result of chemical processing were found at the Al Kibar site ; however , the IAEA did not find sufficient evidence to prove Syria is developing nuclear weapons . Some American nuclear experts have speculated about similarities between the alleged Syrian reactor and North Korea ' s Yongybon reactor but IAEA Director General ElBaradei has pointed out that " there was uranium but it doesn ' t mean there was a reactor " . ElBaradei has shown dissatisfaction with the United States and Israel for only providing the IAEA with photos of the bombed facility in Syria , and has also urged caution against prematurely judging Syria ' s atomic program by reminding diplomats about false U . S . claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction . Russia , China , Iran , and non - aligned countries have also supported giving Syria nuclear guidance despite pressure from the United States . Joseph Cirincione , an expert on nuclear proliferation and head of the Washington - based Ploughshares Fund , commented " we should learn first from the past and be very cautious about any intelligence from the US about other country ' s weapons . " Syria has denounced " the fabrication and forging of facts " in regards to the incident . IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei criticized the strikes and deplored that information regarding the matter had not been shared with his agency earlier . Syria has declined to let the IAEA visit other military sites the United States recently made allegations about , arguing it fears that too much openness on its part would encourage the U . S . to push for years of relentless international scrutiny . Syria has said it will voluntarily cooperate with the IAEA further if it isn ' t " at the expense of disclosing our military sites or causing a threat to our national security . " The Non - Aligned Movement has called for the establishment of a nuclear weapons free zone in the Middle East and called for a comprehensive multilaterally negotiated instrument which prohibits threats of attacks on nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful uses of nuclear energy . The Gulf Cooperation Council has also appealed for a nuclear weapons free Middle East and recognition of the right of a country to expertise in the field of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes . The IAEA has also approved a resolution urging all Middle East nations to renounce atomic bombs . IAEA non - compliance finding . For nearly three years , Syria refused the IAEA requests for further information on or access to the Dair Alzour site . On May 24 , 2011 , IAEA Director General Amano released a report concluding that the destroyed building was " very likely " a nuclear reactor , which Syria was required to declare under its NPT safeguards agreement . On June 9 , 2011 , the IAEA Board of Governors found that this constituted non - compliance , and reported that non - compliance to the UN Security Council . The vote was 17 - 6 , with 11 abstentions . Delivery systems . In addition to potential aircraft and artillery delivery systems , Syria has several hundred Scud model B , C , and D missiles and SS - 21 missiles . Some SS - 26 are also operational . International Partnerships . United States diplomatic cables revealed that two Indian firms aided Syrian chemical and biological weapons makers in trying to obtain Australia Group - controlled equipment . One cable stated that India " has a general obligation as a Chemical Weapons Convention State Party to never , under any circumstances , assist anyone in the development of chemical weapons " . In 2012 , Iranian and North Korean officials and scientists were brought to bases and testing areas to aid in the development and use of chemical weapons .