This is now new, the matter surfaced in 2013, but no official confirmations have been published.
Syria regime reportedly using napalm in Zabadani
The 1980 United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons bans the use of napalm against civilians.
BEIRUT – Reports have emerged that the Syrian regime in recent days has fired napalm-loaded rockets at rebels holed up in the border town of Zabadani.
Alaraby Aljadeed on Monday reported the use of napalm against the insurgents, who have fought fierce battles against encroaching Hezbollah and regime troops in the past month.
The London-based daily said that the regime was using surface-to-surface missiles to deliver the incendiary payload, which can set buildings alight and has been banned for use against civilians by the 1980 United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
Napalm has a devastating effect on humans as it sticks to skin and causes firestorms and a carbon monoxide atmosphere that can kill people entrenched in shelters.
Several pro-rebel outlets reported on the alleged napalm use, with the Syrian Media Office telling the activist Shaam outlet that the regime had used missiles loaded with the substance.
“The regime has used missiles containing the caustic and internationally banned substance, napalm,” Faris al-Araby told Shaam.
Araby also gave the outlet details of other munitions used by regime and allied forces since the start of the recent offensive on the strategic town, which overlooks the Beirut-Damascus highway.
“Over the course of a month the town has been hit by 1100 barrel bombs, 600 surface-to-surface missiles, 400 thermobaric rockets, thousands of shells and an uncountable number of bullets.”
“The city is being besieged from 170 military positions in the surrounding mountains.”
Meanwhile, another report by Orient TV said that strikes using the substance had caused “dozens of civilian victims, suffering from severe burns and suffocation from the gases given off by the projectiles.”
Hezbollah and the Syrian army’s crack 4th Armored Division have been battling rebels in Zabadani since July 5, making gradual territorial gains in the face of fierce resistance that has left dozens dead from the Shiite Lebanese party.
