How strong is America's evidence against Syria, really?

In the long shadow of Iraq's intelligence failure, U.S. officials say the evidence against Assad is "not a slam dunk"

United Nations investigation team
(Image credit: AP Photo/Erbin City via AP video)

The United States appears headed for an almost certain military intervention in Syria following allegations that President Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons on opposition forces and civilians.

However, while government officials, and President Obama himself, have publicly said it is clear Assad's forces carried out that attack, they have yet to produce hard evidence establishing the link. And privately, multiple U.S. intelligence officials have cautioned that the evidence is "not a slam dunk," according to the Associated Press — a reference to former CIA Director George Tenet's 2002 claim, later disproved, that the evidence tying Iraq to weapons of mass destruction was just that.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.