Warfare – the word summons a terrifying image of combat, loss, suffering and a people with scarce resources. In just two syllables, “warfare” describes the immensity of the ordeals of the Syrian peoples during its ongoing two-year civil strife. 

Chemical warfare – now, the image changes. In a world where warfare consumes its people, one suddenly finds himself in another realm of sheer horror – one that throws the Syrian people undeservingly into the inner ring of Dante’s Inferno: The very real likelihood of your people enduring even greater death rates and an exorbitantly high number of casualties. 

For in chemical warfare, the medium for delivering the noxious agents responsible for anyone’s death is the very air you breathe. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nerve agents (the chief chemicals of concern in Syria) cause harm by inhibiting your nervous system from properly shutting off the body’s glands and muscles  — meaning these tissues spaz out until they tire and can no longer sustain breathing function. 

Over the past several months, many undocumented reports of chemical weapons’ use have been made, from both the Syrian government and the opposition. But last week, the Syrian state news agency, SANA, reported that a missile “containing chemical materials” entered the city of Aleppo, with a death toll of 25 people and 86 injured. The Syrian government has since called for the United Nations to investigate for use of chemical weapons, and today, the United Nations started preparing for the probe, including the aid of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. 

Humanitarian groups are moving fast to begin the probe and determine the nature of Syria’s battleground with chemical weapons use – an exciting development to finally have an official report on the presence of chemical weapons in Syria. 

But what’s most unfortunate is that it cost at least 25 lives and 86 injured persons to prompt action. According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that aims to fulfill the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s goals, Western intelligence agencies had evidence to believe the Syrian government was preparing chemical weapons. The evidence includes surveillance photos showing army units loading chemical weapons onto transport vehicles and witnesses who had seen units mixing the preliminary components of such weapons. And they had evidence of such as early as November. 

This prompted President Barack Obama to emphasize to the Syrian government that a chemical attack by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s units would cross a “red line”that could prompt military intervention by the United States. Other countries of the international community since have echoed similar sentiments, while al-Assad’s main supporters (namely, Russia) have strengthened their commitment to aiding the regime. And, for this reason the international community has been cautious about its approach with Syria.

But tip-toeing around the threat of chemical warfare, we’re learning, isn’t solving it. No, it passively allows for dozens of deaths, swiftly, and almost goes unnoticed. Within the upcoming weeks, the results of the United Nation’s investigation will yield a conclusion that will necessitate a definitive change in the international community’s stance on Syria. If the opposition is found responsible for the use of chemical weapons, the revolution in Syria will be prolonged and certainly will be viewed with less outspoken support. But if it comes as an act of aggression by the Syrian government – well, looks like the signs up until now meant what we had suspected. 

Either way, the impasse will have to end. 

Nora is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @NoraAIbrahim.