Israel Matzav

Israeli Defense Minister Yaalon: Assad used missiles tipped with Sarin gas

RT @20committee: BIG: Israeli DefMin Ya'alon confirms Assad forces used chem outside Damascus, says it was sarin deployed in rockets
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) August 22, 2013

Sarin gas, which was allegedly used by the Syrian regime on Wednesday in eastern neighborhoods of Damascus in an incident that left over 1,300 people dead, was developed in 1938 in Nazi Germany by two scientists who were actually searching for an especially potent insecticide.

The high volatility nerve agent was classified as a weapon of mass destruction by U.N. Resolution 687 of 1991.

The United Nations Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993, which was signed by 162 countries, banned the production and stockpiling of sarin. The use of nerve agents against civilian population is considered a war crime.

Sarin gas can penetrate an individual's body through the skin or the airways. It is considered lethal even at very low concentrations, as it causes severe damage to the nervous system, lungs and eyes.

Sarin itself is a colorless, odorless liquid, but upon explosion its canisters disperses tiny drops through the air, which can then be carried by the wind. As a result, one of the dangers of Sarin gas is its ability to reach far distances from the location of the warhead's original impact. The distance it travels depends on the amount of liquid stored in the warhead, the strength of the explosion and the wind factor.

Once airborne, the gas droplets can attach to buildings or objects in the vicinity and can remain potent for several hours. Coming into contact with the gas in this manner can also be dangerous.

Labels: Bashar al-Assad, chemical weapons, nerve gas, Syria

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:05 PM 2 comments

Yemen's government fired nerve gas at protesters

Doctors from the scene of violent anti-government protests in Yemen’s capital Tuesday night said that what was originally thought to be tear gas fired by government forces on demonstrators might instead have been a form of nerve gas, which is forbidden under international law.

Military personnel opened fire and used what was originally assumed to be tear gas to disperse a group of demonstrators who were trying to bring additional tents into the protest area outside Sanaa University.

According to witnesses, the soldiers fired warning shots into the air before shooting gas — and in some cases live bullets — into the crowd, killing one and injuring at least 50.

Earlier reports indicated that the gas used was tear gas, but doctors who have been treating the wounded refuted that claim today.

“The material in this gas makes people convulse for hours. It paralyzes them. They couldn’t move at all. We tried to give them oxygen but it didn’t work,” said Amaar Nujaim, a field doctor who works for Islamic Relief.

“We are seeing symptoms in the patient’s nerves, not in their respiratory systems. I’m 90 percent sure its nerve gas and not tear gas that was used,” said Sami Zaid, a doctor at the Science and Technology Hospital in Sanaa.

Labels: nerve gas, Yemen

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:34 AM 1 comments