Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, following the protests that had turned violent, as part of the so-called Arab Spring. During the conflict several reports about the use of chemical weapons have emerged.
The JIM in Syria was established in August 2015, and is aimed at identifying those behind chemical weapons attacks in the country. On October 27, 2016, the JIM expert panel released their fourth report, which, in particular, claimed that the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad had used chemical weapons at least three times in the country throughout 2014-2015.
Assad maintains that accusations of use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government are ridiculous, adding that the use of chemical weapons runs contrary to the interests of Damascus.
On January 12, the United States announced that it had sanctioned five Syrian military officials over the alleged use of chemical weapons.
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