THE US is moving "cautiously" towards military intervention in Syria's bloody civil war following the revelation that the Assad regime has almost certainly used chemical weapons against the rebels.
While there have been reports about the regime using chemical weapons in Syria for some time, says the National Review Online, there now appears to be a "consensus that the Assad government has used them".
US intelligence has concluded "with some confidence" that the weapons – most likely sarin gas – have been employed in a series of small scale attacks in recent months. The conclusion is based on "physiological evidence" as well as eyewitness reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Speaking in Abu Dhabi yesterday, Chuck Hagel (pictured), the US Secretary of Defense, said the conclusion had been reached in "the past 24 hours". He added that the use of sarin gas "violates every convention of warfare".
His statement was backed up several hours later by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who said chemical weapons were believed to have been used by the regime in two separate attacks.
The US's hardening conviction that chemical weapons have been used is hugely significant because President Obama has described the issue variously as a "game changer" and a "red line" for America. If the Syrian regime crossed that line, he warned, it would "change the equation" regarding the possibility of US intervention.
Yesterday, Republicans in the US Congress insisted the 'red line' had been crossed and warned that if there is no retribution from the West the regime will be "emboldened".
But Obama doesn't want to go to war in Syria, says the BBC's Mark Mardell. He regards it as "too complex, too difficult, too uncertain".
Mardell writes: "American military action there would have a huge impact on the perception of America in the region - confirming every image he wants to change. Yet the US is, perhaps, moving slowly and cautiously toward taking action. There is no sense of a time scale and no real certainty about what might be done."
Asked about the issue today, David Cameron said there is "limited but growing" evidence that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons. The PM called the evidence "very disturbing", adding that it would constitute a war crime.
British intelligence has been convinced for some time that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons. A Foreign Office spokesperson told The Guardian: "We have limited but persuasive information from various sources showing chemical weapon use in Syria, including sarin. This is extremely concerning. Use of chemical weapons is a war crime. We have briefed our allies, partners and the UN on this information and we are working actively to get more and better information."
-
October 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
Inside Syria’s al-Hol campUnder the radar Aid cuts mean authorities face ‘uphill struggle’ to maintain security
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Rubio says US brokered end to Syria conflictSpeed Read Syria's defense ministry was targeted in Israeli attacks on the capital
-
Syria's returning refugeesThe Explainer Thousands of Syrian refugees are going back to their homeland but conditions there remain extremely challenging
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
