Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The Syrian government used a non-lethal chemical weapon on March 27 near Damascus, according to an Israeli security official.

The Israeli government source said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used the weapon on rebel fighters in Harasta, a suburb of Damascus. The official said that the chemical “neutralizes but does not kill,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

According to Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Syria has destroyed all of its chemical weapons production centers and most of its ammunition designed to activate chemical weapons. Ya’alon believes that nearly 60 percent of Syria’s chemical materials have already been removed, Haaretz reported.