Terrorists May Grab Hold of Syria's Chemical Weapons, Israel Warns

The Syrian stockpiles of chemical weapons may end up in the hands of terrorists as the ruling regime of President Bashar al-Assad and anti-government forces continue fierce fighting, an Israeli senior military commander warned.

"Syria's chemical arsenal is the world's largest. It has missiles that are capable of destroying targets on the entire territory of Israel," Kol Israel radio station quoted Israeli General Staff Deputy Chief, Major General Yair Naveh as saying, on Monday.

The Israeli army should keep its vigilance to prevent Syrian chemical weapons ending up in the hands of radical militant groups like Al Qaeda or the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, the general said, cited by RIA Novosti.

At least 9 000 people have been killed in clashes between the government and opposition forces in Syria since the start of the Arab Spring uprising against President Bashar al-Assad last year, according to UN estimates.

UN special envoy Kofi Annan said on Thursday his six-point peace plan aimed at stopping the violence in Syria is "not being implemented."

The presence of a group of UN observers has also had little impact on the situation. Annan warned of an escalating crisis and laid responsibility for the atrocities on al-Assad's regime.

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