A Syrian general who defected to the opposition told the Times newspaper that the president had discussed the possibility of using chemical weapons in the conflict, and even whether they should be transferred to the Lebanese Shia Islamist movement, Hezbollah.
“We discussed this as a last resort – such as if the regime lost control of an important area such as Aleppo,” Gen Adnan Sillu said.
He described the reason behind his separation from Assad is the regime’s plans to use chemical weapons against civilians and Free Syrian Army members discussed in meetings between Assad and senior military officials.