Syria has used chemical weapons: US

Syria has used chemical weapons: US

US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes

Thu Jun 13, 2013 10:20PM GMT

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The United States has claimed that Syria has used chemical weapons against the militants, implying that the government of President Bashar al-Assad has crossed Washington’s “red line.”

"Our intelligence community assesses that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year," Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said in a White House statement on Thursday. 

Last year, President Barack Obama said Syria’s crossing the red line would prompt the US to become more involved in the conflict in the Arab country by providing the militants with military support. 

"The United States and the international community have a number of other legal, financial, diplomatic, and military responses available. We are prepared for all contingencies, and we will make decisions on our own timeline," Rhodes said. 

Senator John McCain, a staunch supporter of arming the militants in Syria, expressed happiness at the announcement, adding the US should even think of plans other than sending weapons to the militants “to change the equation on the battleground.” 

Pressure is building on Obama to directly intervene in the conflict in Syria. 

Former US President Bill Clinton said on Tuesday that Washington’s failure to intervene in the conflict there would be “a bad mistake.” 

MA/MHB

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/13/308871/syria-has-used-chemical-weapons-us/