Poor storage or sabotage? Series of explosions in Syria raises fears

Repeated blasts at military sites expose the risks facing Syria as it rebuilds its army after years of war. Repeated blasts at military sites expose the risks facing Syria as it rebuilds its army and consolidates weapons after years of war. A series of explosions at weapons and ammunition sites across Syria this month have exposed the difficulties facing the country’s military in storing and moving munitions, as the armed forces rebuild after more than a decade of war. The latest blasts injured at least four people in the early hours of Monday morning at an arms depot in al-Eis, south of Aleppo. On Friday, a blast in Ayyash, west of Deir Az Zor, killed 11 soldiers.

Another on September 9 killed 14 defence ministry personnel in Sarmada, Idlib. Also in Idlib, five people were killed when a vehicle carrying ammunition exploded in the town of Binnish on September 1 . According to a tally by the Reuters news agency, at least 16 similar explosions have hit arms storage facilities since the fall of long-time President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 after an opposition offensive. Some have been attributed to poor storage conditions. The Syrian Defence Ministry said it is investigating the causes behind the recurrent explosions to prevent future incidents. Security analysts are divided on the root causes, with