Dumb Question: How Are Chemical Weapons Deployed?.....

[Lurks Often]

11. Several ways

Usually by artillery or mortar shell, they can also be delivered by missiles like the SCUD or by planes with tanks (much like a crop duster, only faster and higher).

When we had them, we used a binary system in that two different kinds of chemicals that by themselves were not chemical weapons, were separated in the artillery shell and only after the artillery shell was fired would the two chemicals mix and become a chemical weapon. I believe the Russians used a similar method and there is a fair chance that as a client state of the former Soviet Union, the Syrians used the same method.

Non binary chemical weapons would be delivered the same way, although it would be possible to jury rig something to set it off remotely. A non binary shell should be relatively safe to handle once it is loaded and sealed, but most militaries have units with specialized training to handle chemical weapons and chemical weapon attacks.