Airstrikes hit Syrian facility that West alleged produced chemical weapons, eyewitness says

Alleged Israeli airstrikes in central Syria on Sunday night struck a facility claimed by the West to have produced chemical weapons, according to a local resident.

Alleged Israeli airstrikes in central Syria on Sunday night struck a facility claimed by the West to have produced chemical weapons, according to a local resident. The strikes killed at least 18 people and injured 37 others, state-run Syrian news agency SANA said Monday, citing the director of Masyaf National Hospital. SANA reported that there had been several explosions in the central Tartous and Hama governorates, including in the Masyaf countryside. A Masyaf resident, who requested anonymity for security reasons, described to CNN hearing several explosions late Sunday night. “About half an hour before midnight, multiple airstrikes targeted the Syrian Military Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) and several nearby buildings. I heard at least eight explosions, followed by the sound of ambulances,” the resident said. Western governments sanctioned a number of officials working at the SSRC in 2017 for their alleged involvement in a Syrian government project to make and deploy the deadly sarin chemical agent. About 30 minutes after the initial barrage, the witness said they heard more explosions. Neighbors told the resident that at least four civilians, including three members of the same family, were killed in the airstrikes.