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Video Showing The High Explosive Variant Of The Chemical Attack Linked Munition

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Thanks to @7oriaWBas who sent me the following video


This shows what I believe is a high explosive variant of the same munition linked to alleged chemical attacks in Damascus.  The group in the video, Environs of the Holy House [Jerusalem] Battalions, claims this was fired by government forces, landing in Camp Sbeineh, and contains 200kg of explosives.  They also took a photograph of the munition



In the video they are disassembling the munition, and here we can see them scraping out the yellow high explosive that fills the warhead


This matches to an example of the explosive variant of this munition that was recovered in Homs.  Local fighters in Homs claimed these were used widely, and caused massive amounts of damage.


One key reason that I believe this munition is a different variant to the type linked to alleged chemical attacks is whenever we see the type linked to the alleged chemical attack, the payload is gone, yet the rocket it in good condition.  A large, high explosive warhead would destroy the warhead section, and damage the rocket as well.  However, when we see the munitions linked to the alleged chemical attack we repeatedly see them in comparatively good condition, as the below video demonstrates


You also might have noticed something about the numbering.  On those munitions linked to the alleged chemical attacks, where the numbers are still visible, they are always written in red


Yet in the Homs video and the new video the numbers on the rocket are written in black.


This may indicate a coloured numbering system used to identify the payload of the munition.

What also interesting is the base-plate of the warhead.  Here's a clear shot of the base-plate from the munition linked to alleged chemical attacks


You'll note two holes, possibly used to fill the warhead.  Now look at the example in the new video and from Homs



In both these pictures we see only one hole, possibly a fill hole.

This appears to show there's certain consistencies between the two variants of the munitions.  I've now been sent photographs showing the munition linked to the chemical attack that has shown the tail fins are around 320mm wide, which would mean they'd fit with the theory these are munitions manufactured locally, or by an ally of Syria, designed to fit the Iranian Falaq-2 rocket launcher.  I also suspect the munitions have different length rockets, with the heavier high explosive munition having a longer tail section, something I hope to confirm when I have more details of the munition.

For more information relating to the recent alleged chemical weapon attacks in Damascus, go here.

Thanks to Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi for translations. and additional information.

You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

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