Syrians Transfer Weapons, Including ‘Chemical Grenades,’ to Israeli Forces

Photo Credit: Jamal Awad/Flash90

Israeli soldiers operating on the Syrian side of the border fence, Dec. 15, 2024.

Syrians are helping Israeli forces collect weapons, including grenades filled with chemical agents, left over from the civil war that has raged in the Arab country for over a decade, Hebrew media reported on Monday.

The weapons are being turned over in villages in or near Israeli-controlled areas in Syria, according to Channel 12 News.

“We found several weapons filled with chemical warfare agents,” one unnamed soldier, whose face did not appear on camera, said in a video aired by the outlet. “You can see cheap grenades filled with chemical agents, and you have to add a fuse to them in order to activate them. There are boxes filled with grenades, with chemicals called ‘CS,’” he added.

The item featured a photograph of a man dressed in civilian clothes near the weapons. The report did not specify who in Syria is turning over weapons to Israeli forces.

Israel seized areas in Syria near the shared border following the collapse of the regime of Bashar Assad on Dec. 8. Israel’s presence there is temporary and designed to ensure the safety of the border area, according to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Israel has also carried out intensive strikes in Syria since the regime’s collapse, to prevent dangerous weapons falling into the wrong hands, Katz added.