Syria claims rebels targeting chemical arsenal storage sites

Syrian envoy to the international chemical watchdog has claimed that rebels have twice launched unsuccessful attacks on storage locations of the deadly arsenal of Bashar al-Assad's regime, a Western diplomat said.

The diplomat said that Syria's envoy to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) reported the alleged attempted attacks at a closed meeting of the group's executive council, News24 reports.

However, the OPCW officials did not confirm the comment because the remarks were made at a private meeting.

According to the diplomat, Syria claims that the insurgent attacks on storage sites storing chemicals used in poison gas and nerve agents near the city of Homs and in a Damascus suburb were repelled.

The first batch of toxic chemicals was shipped out of Syria port of Latakia on Tuesday, but the reported attacks underscore the risks involved in international efforts to dismantle the chemical arsenals.