Accusations Continue of New Chemical Gas Attacks

Despite the ongoing destruction of President Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapons cache, activists are now accusing the government of further chemical attacks on opposition-held areas.

Reuters reports on allegations of a new gas attack in Damascus on Wednesday, with footage showing four men being treated by medics.

“They said the chemical attack, the fourth the opposition has reported this month, was in the Harasta neighborhood.” Reuters said it could not independently verify footage of the incident.

“Activists posted a video on YouTube on Wednesday of four men being treated with oxygen … it did not say if there were fatalities. The face of one of the men appeared to be covered in vomit. He was shown shaking and moaning as doctors treated him.”

Syrian War Takes Heavy Toll at a Crossroad of Cultures

The New York Times reports from the ancient city of Palmyra on the looting and destruction of ancient sites, which UNESCO has said is being carried out across the country by parties on all sides of the conflict.

“At the first-century Temple of Bel, one of the best-preserved buildings in the ancient city of Palmyra, a prominent column bears a new scar. A mortar shell left a telltale splash mark on the stone, without budging a structure that has stood for 2,000 years,” writes Anne Barnard. “Elsewhere, two other columns have collapsed, officials said, and bullets have pockmarked walls. But compared with the wholesale destruction that was feared, the damage, for now, is minimal.

“Yet the war has left deeper, less obvious wounds. Illegal digging, long a problem at the many sprawling archaeological sites in Syria, has accelerated during three years of conflict. Grave robbers, some crude, others professional, have stolen numerous objects from Palmyra’s tombs, museum officials say, sometimes sawing funeral friezes in two to make them easier to carry.”

Jordanian Jets Strike Vehicles Trying to Enter From Syria

The New York Times reports that Jordanian warplanes on Wednesday “destroyed three vehicles trying to enter the country from neighboring Syria in an unusual strike that underscored Jordan’s intensive efforts to maintain control over a border crisscrossed by smugglers, Syrian insurgents and refugees.

“Confusion swirled about the vehicles, which appeared, in images broadcast on Jordanian television, to be pickup trucks. The army did not give details on who was in the trucks or where along the border the strike took place. Syrian state news media said the vehicles did not belong to the Syrian Army.”

It could mean further involvement for Jordan, which has worked to keep a low profile in the conflict and keep violence from spilling over its border. But, the Times notes, among Syrian rebels active here, “it is an open secret that Jordan hosts an international operations room that manages the movement of rebels across the border and provides limited military assistance to rebel groups deemed non-extremist.”

Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team

Guardian: British Jihadists in Syria are Playing into Assad’s Hands

Economist: Syria’s Civil War: The Ebb and Flow of Horror