U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel first
announced the assessment of the U.S. intelligence community that
Damascus has used chemical weapons but on a small scale during a visit
to Abu Dhabi. (Reuters)
Al Arabiya with AFP -
The White House said Thursday that Syria had likely used chemical
weapons against rebel forces on a “small scale,” but emphasized U.S. spy
agencies were still not 100 percent sure, AFP reported.
U.S. intelligence services had been investigating reports that Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad’s forces had used chemical arms - a move
Washington has said would cross a “red line,” triggering possible
military action.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel first announced the assessment during
a visit to Abu Dhabi, saying the “decision to reach this conclusion was
made within the past 24 hours.”
“Our intelligence community does assess with varying degrees of
confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small
scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin,” National
Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said.
“Given the stakes involved, and what we have learned from our own recent
experience, intelligence assessments alone are not sufficient,” Hayden
however cautioned.
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