This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

On the heels of the capture of Aleppo and Hama, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was ousted as opposition forces quickly took control of Damascus a few short days ago. But the international community is wary, wondering into whose hands any of the Assad regime's suspected chemical weapons arsenals could fall.

The United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons are tracking the possibility of chemical weapons remaining in Syria. Izumi Nakamitsu, the U.N. high representative for Disarmament Affairs, considers the presence of such weapons "extremely worrying."

Ryan Mauro, a veteran national security analyst who has focused on Syria and the Middle East for over 20 years, told WorldNetDaily that Assad once claimed he had destroyed all weapons of mass destruction, when in fact he did not. The investigative researcher for the Capital Research Center pointed out, "Assad lied about his deck [of cards] – about what he had destroyed."

Although Israeli airstrikes have targeted chemical weapons sites for destruction, Mauro said, "We do not have an accurate account of what Assad possessed." Without knowing if any of Assad's chemical weapons arsenal remains, Mauro conceded, "It's likely some of these weapons could end up in the hands of terrorist-tied rebels, including Hayat Tahrir al Sham," known as "HTS."

Despite its early affiliation with Al-Qaida, he said, today "the HTS group is more concerned with diplomacy and public relations, trying to win popular support [in Syria]."

"If they find chemical weapons," Mauro speculates, "they're not going to use them. They're benefiting too much from taking a diplomatic approach, and that's what I expect them to do in at least the near future." In fact, he said, he would "not be surprised" if HTS found chemical weapons and actually facilitated their destruction under international supervision.

The problem, warned Mauro, is that "these rebels are not a singular force, [as] there are other Al-Qaida/Salafi-type jihadist groups that follow them and work with them." Indeed, says Mauro, there are countless rebel groups – "some operating in different coalitions and others operating independently."

Therefore, warns Mauro, "it's very possible some chemical weapons and other sensitive materials could end up in the hands of a jihadist group that isn't HTS."