The head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, has publicly accused the United States of preparing new provocations that would use chemical weapons to undermine the Syrian leadership amid ongoing efforts to restore Arab-Syrian relations. The claims were presented by the SVR’s press office and reported by TASS as part of a briefing on recent developments in the region.
According to Naryshkin, Washington is actively trying to derail the rapprochement between Arab states and Syria and to cast doubt on the Syrian leadership. He asserted that American authorities have prepared multiple provocations, including the alleged deployment of chemical toxic substances, to reach these geopolitical aims.
Drawing on what he described as information held by the Foreign Intelligence Service, Naryshkin stated that the planned tactics mirror earlier methods used in May 2023 in Syria’s Idlib province. He linked those operations to militants connected to a CIA-backed local cadre of Al Qaeda, naming the Hurras al-Din group and the Turkestan Islamic Party as participants. He noted that both organizations are banned in Russia.
In the narrative presented, civilian harm followed, with reports indicating that about 100 people were affected by poisoning in that phase of the activity.
Naryshkin also claimed that the United States has not abandoned its alleged protection of ISIS elements operating in southern Syria, suggesting that American interests continued to shield ISIS remnants even as other actors pursued different goals in the conflict.
He described missiles that allegedly carried warheads filled with toxic agents and said that these were positioned near communities around Hawiya and Zavria, at a distance from the U.S. military base at Al-Tanf.
During a separate briefing, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev was cited as saying that there is evidence the same kinds of chemical and even biological weapons may be used, including on Ukrainian territory, indicating broader concerns about the potential deployment of such arms.
The discourse also referenced a NATO statement regarding Ukrainian plans, tying Western strategic discussions to the broader regional tensions and the risk of escalation involving chemical and other weapons.”