Obama administration: Syrian regime used chemical weapons against opposition - NBC Politics

By Michael O'Brien, Political Reporter, NBC News

The United States and its allies have concluded that the government of Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons in that Syria's protracted civil war, the Obama administration said Thursday.

The intelligence community concluded with "high confidence" that the Assad regime had used chemical weapons — including the nerve agent sarin — "on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year."

"The intelligence community estimates that 100 to 150 people have died from detected chemical weapons attacks in Syria to date; however, casualty data is likely incomplete," said Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes.

The use of chemical weapons crosses the so-called "red line" first established by President Barack Obama last year, which he said would prompt the administration to alter its posture, and become more involved in either aiding Syrian rebels or providing military support, like helping to enforce a no-fly zone............

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Obama administration: Syrian regime used chemical weapons against opposition - NBC Politics