The ''Centre d'études et de recherches scientifiques'' (CERS) (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: مركز الدراسات والبحوث العلمية ''markaz aldirasat walbuhuth aleilmia'') is a

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

n government agency that has the goal of advancing and coordinating scientific and military research activities in the country. It works on research and development for the economic and social development of Syria, especially the computerization of government agencies. It is considered to have better technical capacity and equipment than the Syrian universities.

Jane's Information Group Janes is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane. History Jane's Information Group was founded in 1898 by Fred T. ...

Intelligence Services and other analysts believe it is responsible for research and development of nuclear, biological, chemical and missile technology and weapons,Special Weapons Agencies
GlobalSecurity. 24 July 2011. including ballistic missiles, as well as advanced conventional arms. CERS is run by a director-general with the rank of minister, who is directly responsible to the president. Current Director General is Dr. Amr Armanazi. It provides most research and development functions for the

Syrian military The Syrian Armed Forces () are the military forces of Syria. Up until the fall of Bashar al-Assad's Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region, Ba'ath Party Ba'athist Syria, regime in December 2024, the Syrian Arab Armed Forces were the sta ...

. Since the 1970s, CERS has also been responsible for the development of civilian science and technology in Syria, and it was on this basis that CERS was able to develop cooperative relationships with Western chemical companies.

History

SSRC was established in 1971, following a presidential directive of

Nureddin al-Atassi Nureddin Mustafa Ali al-Atassi (, 11 January 1929 – 3 December 1992) was a Syrian politician who served as the president of Syria from 1966 to 1970. Early life and education Nureddin Al-Atassi, born in 1929 in Homs to an Arab family, and b ...

from 1969. Its first director-general was Abdullah Watiq Shahid, a nuclear physicist who had become the minister of higher education in 1967. SSRC was ostensibly a civilian agency but Shahid's aim was to pursue weapons development. In 1973 President

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad (6 October 193010 June 2000) was a Syrian politician and military officer who was the president of Syria from 1971 until Death and state funeral of Hafez al-Assad, his death in 2000. He was previously the Prime Minister of Syria ...

authorized relations between SSRC and the Syrian Army. SSRC then became the main agency for development and enhancement of weapons for the army. While it remained ostensibly civilian, Ziauddin Sardar's 1982 book ''Science and Technology in the Middle East'' said SSRC "belongs to the Syrian defense ministry, and conducts military research." In 1983 the military chief of staff was made responsible for appointing members of SSRC's board and technical staff. The military was also to authorize all appointments in SSRC's new branch for applied science, the Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (HIAST). The SSRC director-general was raised to ministerial rank. The production of

chemical weapon A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as ...

s became one of SSRC's main projects. News media have reported production plants for

sarin Sarin (NATO designation GB nerve_agent#G-series.html" ;"title="hort for nerve agent#G-series">G-series, "B" is an extremely toxic organophosphorus compound.VX and

mustard gas Mustard gas or sulfur mustard are names commonly used for the organosulfur compound, organosulfur chemical compound bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide, which has the chemical structure S(CH2CH2Cl)2, as well as other Chemical species, species. In the wi ...

near

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

Hama Hama ( ', ) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one o ...

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

and

Latakia Latakia (; ; Syrian Arabic, Syrian pronunciation: ) is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mar ...

. Some or all of the plants were established ostensibly as civilian facilities. The highly secretive military facility in Jamraya was established in the 1980s, when Syria was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

ally.Profile: Syria's top-secret Jamraya research centre
(May 5, 2013), BBC. Western intelligence agencies believe that the Syrian procurement structure for biological and chemical weapons uses SSRC as cover. The center has received the required expertise, technology and materials from Russian sources to produce VX nerve gas. In June 1996 the CIA had discovered that SSRC received a shipment of missile components from China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation as part as a wider collaboration between the two institutions. According to French intelligence, SSRC is responsible for producing toxic agents for use in war. A group named "Branch 450" is allegedly responsible for filling munitions with chemicals and maintaining security of the chemical agent stockpiles. In 2005, US President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

issued Executive Order 13382, blocking the ownership and support of weapons of mass destruction, which prohibited United States citizens and residents from doing business with the SSRC. In 2007, the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...

blocked 3 SSRC subsidiaries: The Institute of Applied Science and Technology (HIAST), the Electronics Institute, and the National Standards and Calibration Laboratory (NSCL). In 2012, Iranian and North Korean officials and scientists were brought to bases and testing areas to aid in the development and use new types of weapons. In 2014, at the height of the Syrian civil war, CERS resumed the manufacture of long, medium range missiles and rockets at the same rate as before the war. In 2016, the head of Israeli Military Intelligence reported that Syria had resumed manufacture of the M-600 missiles, which has a range of 300 kilometers that was upgraded by CERS. In June 2020, it was reported that SSRC has been seeking to procure illicit nuclear, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction technology in southern Germany. In one reported case, it procured laboratory equipment from a company in North Baden, which was to be forwarded to Syria via Lebanon and China.

Organization

The CERS is divided into five research institutes and five centers. Research institutes pursue both project oriented and basic scientific research.

Structure (as of 2023)

*CERS Headquarters *Advisory Committee to the Director General *Technology and Innovation Department *Institute 1000 ( electronic warfare,

missile guidance Missile guidance refers to a variety of methods of guiding a missile or a guided bomb to its intended target. The missile's target accuracy is a critical factor for its effectiveness. Guidance systems improve missile accuracy by improving its P ...

) * Institute 2000 (

mechanics Mechanics () is the area of physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among Physical object, physical objects. Forces applied to objects may result in Displacement (vector), displacements, which are changes of ...

) **Branch 410 (bombs, launchers and vehicles) *Institute 3000/6000 (

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

and

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

) **Branch 450 (chemical components) *Institute 4000 (

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

s and

aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design process, design, and manufacturing of air flight-capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. While the term originally referred ...

) **Department 4 ( SSM development) **Project 99 ( SRBM,

MRBM A medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) is a type of ballistic missile with medium range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the U.S. Department of Defense, a medium-range missile is defined ...

production) ***Project 991 (

Scud A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the m ...

development) ***Projects 992–995, 997 (

production) **Project 702 ( solid fuel engines, liquid fuel engines and

rocket propellant Rocket propellant is used as reaction mass ejected from a rocket engine to produce thrust. The energy required can either come from the propellants themselves, as with a chemical rocket, or from an external source, as with ion engines. Overvi ...

) **Branch 340 (

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

) ***Project 111 ( SAM) ***Project 504 (small diameter bombs) ***Project 794 (weapon systems) ***Project 797 (

warhead A warhead is the section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket (weapon), rocket, torpedo, or bomb. Classification Types of warheads include: *E ...

s, bombs) **Branch 350 ( SSM and

MLRS A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple launchers which are fixed to a single platform, and shoots its rocket ordnance in a fashion similar to a vol ...

production) ***Project M600 ( M-600) ***Project 602 (M-220,

M-302 The Khaibar-1 (), also known as the Khyber-1, M-302, B-302 and the R160 is a Syrian-made 302 mm unguided artillery rocket. It is best known for being used by Hezbollah against targets in northern Israel during the 2006 Lebanon War, and has ...

) **Branch 650 (

UAV An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Drone ...

technologies) *Branch 550 (purchase and planning) *Institute 5200 (researchers/engineers training)

Locations

CERS facilities are located in Jamraya (Institute 1000, Institute 3000, Branch 450, Branch 550), Barzeh ( Institute 2000, Institute 5200) and

Masyaf Masyaf ( ') is a city in northwestern Syria. It is the center of the Masyaf District in the Hama Governorate. As of 2004, Masyaf had a religiously diverse population of approximately 22,000 Ismailis, Alawites and Christians. The city is well kno ...

(Institute 4000). Also, Institute 4000 has centers in al-Rashideen,

(Branch 340),

As-Safira As-Safira ( / ALA-LC: ''as-Safīrah''; Aleppo dialect: ''Sfīre'') is a Syrian city administratively belonging to the Aleppo Governorate. It is the administrative center of the as-Safira District. As Safīrah has an altitude of , and a populat ...

(Project 504, Project 702, Branch 350) and Taqsis (Project 99). In 2014, it was revealed that CERS together with

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

established a base in Qusayr,

with underground facilities that allegedly store

Shahab-1 The Shahab-1 (, meaning "Meteor-1") was the foundation of the short-range Iranian missile program. During the Iran–Iraq War, Iran purchased R-17 Elbrus missiles from Libya, Syria and North Korea ( Hwasong-5). It is a close copy of Hwasong-5 (R- ...

missiles, delivered to the organization by the

IRGC The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...

, and

natural uranium Natural uranium (NU or Unat) is uranium with the same isotopic ratio as found in nature. It contains 0.711% uranium-235, 99.284% uranium-238, and a trace of uranium-234 by weight (0.0055%). Approximately 2.2% of its radioactivity comes from ura ...

. According to IAEA research, Syria possesses up to 50 tons of natural uranium. Suspected nuclear storage facilities were also in Marj al-Sultan. CERS also had bunkers and storage facilities at the Him Shanshar military installation. In June 2017, a new missile manufacturing facility of CERS was allegedly opened in Wadi Jahannam,

. By 2020, new ballistic missile production complex of CERS near the city of

Baniyas Baniyas ( ') is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coastal city in Tartous Governorate, western Syria, located south of Latakia and north of Tartous. It is known for its citrus fruit orchards and its export of wood. North of the city is an B ...

was opened. The complex is similar to the Iranian military’s Parchin complex near

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

. The Syrian government was actively working with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

on its construction since 2017. There were also speculations about the production of Zolfaghar missiles, a version of the

Fateh-110 The Fateh-110 ( "conqueror"), also known as NP-110, is an Iranian solid-fueled surface-to-surface missile, surface-to-surface ballistic missile produced by Iran's Iran Aviation Industries Organization, Aerospace Industries Organization since 2 ...

, which the new factory complexes in Baniyas could reasonably produce.

Linked civil and military institutes

* Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (HIAST) *National Standards and Calibration Laboratory (NSCL) *Établissement Industriel de la Défense (EID) *Syrian Defense Laboratories (SDL)A Syrian-produced North Korean Type 68 rifle on sale in Yemen. We can notice the Syrian Defense Laboratories logo stamped on it, which we have seen in the past across Syria. (h/t @FighterXwar_ar).
/ref>

Research and development projects

Infantry weapons

Type 58 The Type 58 () is an assault rifle made in North Korea derived from the Soviet AK-47 designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. This was the first weapon made in North Korea alongside the PPSh-41, made under license as the Type 49. It was made in Factory ...

/ Type 68

Assault rifle An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge, intermediate-rifle cartridge and a Magazine (firearms), detachable magazine.C. Taylor, ''The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat'', F.A. Moyer '' ...

* Golan S-01

Anti-materiel rifle An anti-materiel rifle (AMR) is a rifle designed for use against military equipment, structures, and other hardware (materiel) targets. Anti-materiel rifles are chambered in significantly larger calibers than conventional rifles and are employed ...

The SSRC has upgraded the Syrian produced Golan S-01 AMR over the past year
/ref>

Missile systems

*M-220 Artillery missile *M-302 (

Khaibar-1 The Khaibar-1 (), also known as the Khyber-1, M-302, B-302 and the R160 is a Syrian-made 302 mm unguided artillery rocket. It is best known for being used by Hezbollah against targets in northern Israel during the 2006 Lebanon War, and has ...

)

*S-11 Burkan MLRS *Golan-65 MLRS *Golan-250 MLRS *Golan-300 MLRS *Golan-400 MLRS *Golan-1000 MLRS *

Falaq-1 The Falaq-1 is an Iranian-made rocket system. Design The 240 mm unguided surface-to-surface rocket is very similar to the rocket used with the Russian 240 mm (12-round) BM-24 system. The Falaq-1 has a bore of 240 mm, and a weig ...

(under license) *

Falaq-2 The Falaq-2 missile is the second generation of Falaq unguided artillery rocket systems. This system was also developed in the 1990s by the Shahid Bagheri Industries, which is part of the Aerospace Industries Organization. It is considered possi ...

(under license)

Missile defense systems

* S-200 (modified)

Ballistic missiles

Scud-B The R-17 Elbrus (, named for Mount Elbrus), GRAU index 9K72 is a tactical ballistic missile, initially developed by the Soviet Union. It is also known by its NATO reporting name SS-1C Scud-B. The R-17 is one of several Soviet missiles to carry the ...

SRBM *

Scud-C A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the mi ...

SRBM * Scud-D

* Scud-ER

* Golan-1 SRBM * Golan-2 SRBM * Maysaloun SRBM * M-600 SRBM *

Fateh-313 Fateh-313 (, "Conqueror-313"), an Iranian solid-fuel short-range ballistic missile, was unveiled on 21 August 2015. It is almost identical to the previous generation, the Fateh-110, but reportedly utilizes a new composite fuel and body. Iran’s ...

SRBM *

SRBM (under license) *

Shahab-2 The Shahab-2 (, meaning "Meteor-2") is the successor to the Iranian Shahab-1 missile. It is based on the North Korean Hwasong-6 (modified version of the Hwasong-5, itself a modification of the R-17 Elbrus). Background On November 2, 2006, Ira ...

SRBM (under license) *

Zelzal-1 Zelzal-1 (, meaning "Earthquake-1") is an Iranian-made heavy artillery rocket with an estimated range of 160 km. It is believed to be owned by the Iranian Armed Forces and Hezbollah. The rocket received relatively little use but was the basi ...

SRBM (under license) *

Zelzal-2 Zelzal-2/Mushak-200 (Persian: زلزال-۲, meaning "Earthquake") is an Iranian unguided long-range artillery rocket. The Zelzal-2 is a 610 mm truck-launched rocket that has a payload of 600 kg and a range of about 200 km. Developm ...

SRBM (under license) *

Zelzal-3 Zelzal-3 (, meaning "earthquake") is an Iranian-made solid propellant guided artillery rocket with a range of 200 km. Cordesman, Anthony H. (2007)Lessons of the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah War p. 11. It is an upgrade of the Zelzal-2 rocket with sl ...

SRBM (under license) *

Naze'at The Naze'at 6-H and Naze'at 10-H/Mushak-120/Iran-130 ( lit. ''Those Who Pull Out'', in reference to ''the angels who tear out the souls of the wicked'') are two Iranian long-range artillery rockets with ranges of about 100 km. The Naze'at 10 ...

SRBM (upgraded with guidance system)

Bombs

*ODAB thermobaric bomb

Active protection systems

* Sarab-1 APS * Sarab-2 APS * Sarab-3 APS

Tanks

T-72 Adra The T-72 ''Adra'' () or 'Mahmia' is a Syrian tank. It is a domestic upgrade to the T-72M1 that features slat armor, spaced armor, and chains to provide 360 degree protection from RPGs. Background In the late ‘70s through the early ‘90s ...

(Mahmia) * T-72 Shafrah

Self-propelled field artillery

*130 mm M-46 W-SPG

Logistics vehicles

* (under license)

UAVs

* Ababil-3 (under license) * Qods Saeghe (under license) *Various FPV drones

Foreign cooperation

In 2022, it was reported that CERS has a wide-ranging cooperation with countries like

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Military activities

Development of chemical weapons

According to US intelligence reports, in August 2013, SSRC prepared chemical munitions used for deadly chemical attacks which killed hundreds of Syrian civilians in the Syrian Civil War. According to French intelligence, SSRC is responsible for producing toxic agents for use in war, pinpointing "Branch 450" as being responsible for filling munitions with chemicals and also the security of sites where the chemical agents are stocked.

Sanctions

In 2005, US president

issued Executive Order 13382, "Blocking Property of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators and their Supporters," which prohibited U.S. citizens and residents from doing business with SSRC. In 2007 the

US Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current U.S. government departments. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and ...

banned trade with three SSRC subsidiaries: the Higher Institute of Applied Science and Technology (HIAST), the Electronics Institute, and the National Standards and Calibration Laboratory (NSCL). On 24 April 2017, weeks after the

2017 Khan Shaykhun chemical attack The Khan Shaykhun chemical attack took place on 4 April 2017 on the town of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib Governorate of Syria. The town was reported to have been struck by an airstrike by government forces followed by massive civilian chemical ...

, the

imposed sanctions on 271 SSRC employees for their alleged role in producing chemical weapons.

Military actions

In 2010, Nitzan Nuriel, the director of the Israel's Counter-Terrorism Bureau, said that SSRC had transferred weapons to

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

and

and that the international community should warn the Syrian government that SSRC would be demolished if it continued to arm terrorist organizations. On 31 January 2013, one of SSRC's facilities, located at Jamraya, was damaged by an Israeli airstrike which was believed to be targeting a convoy carrying advanced anti-aircraft weaponry from SSRC to the Lebanese Shiite militia

.Israeli raid in Syria reportedly damaged research site
The Times Of Israel In May 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrikes Israel hit another important shipment of SSMs to Lebanon. In September 2017 the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

bombed a SSRC military research facility near

, probably targeting an advanced missiles factory. Two Syrian soldiers were killed and the facility was severely damaged, with many weapons stored inside destroyed. Syrian media reported another Israeli attack in December 2017. On 14 April 2018, several buildings alleged to be associated with the Syrian chemical weapons programme at SSRC's facility at Barzah in Damascus were destroyed during US missile strikes on chemical weapons sites. Other buildings within the larger complex were undamaged. In August 2018, Dr. Aziz Azbar, the head of the SSRC Institute 4000 in

at that time, was assassinated in a car bombing, allegedly by Israel. He was reported to have been working on a medium and long range missile program. An Israeli airstrike on January 12, 2019 damaged a suspected Iranian target in a Syrian military base 1.5 km west of the research center. On 29 February 2020, Turkish drone strikes bombed the SSRC site in

. A Turkish official claimed the site was used to develop

chemical weapons A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as ...

. On 24 December 2020, an Israeli airstrike near Masyaf destroyed four missile production facilities. The attack reportedly killed six people and destroyed depots and missile production facilities belonging to Iranian militias. On 8 September 2024, Israeli airstrikes killed 5, injured 19 civilians and made some material damage in the

area, according to Syrian state news agency

SANA The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) () is a Syrian state-owned news agency, linked to the country's ministry of information. It was established in June 1965. SANA publishes more than 500 news stories and 150 photos on a daily basis and operate ...

. According to the Syrian

Ministry of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...

warplanes launched missiles off the Lebanese

Akkar Governorate Akkar Governorate () is the northernmost governorate of Lebanon. It comprises the single district of Akkar, which in turn is subdivided into 121 municipalities. The capital is at Halba. It covers an area of and is bounded by the Mediterranean ...

to the south-east towards

Tartus Tartus ( / ALA-LC: ''Ṭarṭūs''; known in the County of Tripoli as Tortosa and also transliterated from French language, French Tartous) is a major port city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. It is the second largest port city in Syria (af ...

and CERS facilities in Masyaf. The fighting was carried out in 3 missile waves and one drone wave and most of the hostile objects were shot down by the

Syrian Air Defence Force The Syrian Air Defence Force (SyADF or SADF; ), was an independent command within the Syrian Armed Forces. It was responsible for protecting the Syrian airspace against any hostile air attacks. The SyADF was one of the most powerful and combat- ...

References

{{authority control Military research institutes Military of Syria Research institutes in Syria Chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war

History

Organization

Structure (as of 2023)

Locations

Linked civil and military institutes

Research and development projects

Infantry weapons

Missile systems

Missile defense systems

Ballistic missiles

Bombs

Active protection systems

Tanks

Self-propelled field artillery

Logistics vehicles

UAVs

Foreign cooperation

Military activities

Development of chemical weapons

Sanctions

Military actions

See also

References