Germany says Syria did not eradicate chemical arsenal
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on 12 April that an alleged toxic gas attack blamed on Damascus showed that Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s regime failed to eradicate its chemical arsenal, but she ruled out joining any military action against Syria.
Noting that there is ‘strong evidence’ that Damascus deployed the chemical weapons, Merkel said: ‘We... must now acknowledge that it is obvious that the destruction was not completely carried out.’
Damascus narrowly avoided US and French air strikes in 2013 in retaliation for a suspected sarin attack by agreeing to hand over its chemical arsenal.
Following the alleged chemical attack in rebel-held Douma on 7 April, US President Donald Trump ratcheted up the pressure on Damascus, warning in a series of tweets that ‘missiles will be coming’ in retaliation.
Merkel said a ‘full spectrum of measures’ will be considered in response to the gas attack, but ruled out any military deployment.
Merkel said: ‘Germany will not participate militarily, but we will provide our support if the representatives in the UN Security Council ... were to take steps beyond diplomatic measures.’
Germany has deployed reconnaissance and refuelling flights as part of the international anti-jihadist operation in Syria.
But any further military role would require parliamentary approval.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)]()
Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)
As militaries face an overwhelming flow of data, the challenge is shifting from collection to delivering fast, actionable insights that drive decision-making. Advances in AI and data integration are helping armed forces move beyond siloed systems to generate real-time intelligence across domains and allies.
-
![Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms]()
Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms
In a partnership with Emesent, Teledyne FLIR will equip its autonomous air, ground and detection systems with the Hovermap LiDAR payload in a move that highlights a broader market shift towards modular architectures, shared payloads and interoperability across platforms.
-
![US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors]()
US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
-
![US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production]()
US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.
