The head of a Syrian research facility that western countries say was part of a chemical weapons programme has been killed in a car bombing, the pro-government Syrian newspaper al-Watan has said. Aziz Asber was the director of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Centre in Masyaf, near Hama, which western governments say was a covert government installation.

Asber died after an explosion targeted his car in the Hama countryside, al-Watan said in an online report. The attack was claimed by a Syrian group affiliated with the Tahrir al-Sham rebels. It includes the group formerly known as the Nusra Front, which served as al-Qaida’s Syrian branch.The Abu Amara Brigades released a statement on their Telegram channel saying they had planted explosive devices that detonated and killed Asber. The explosion occurred on Saturday night, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. The Masyaf research centre was targeted in Israeli airstrikes last month and in September last year, the Britain-based monitoring group said.(theguardian)…[+]