US Considers Next Steps in Syria
The Obama administration, which acknowledges Syria probably used chemical weapons, is likely to use the information to rally Russian support at the Security Council.
US confirmation that chemical weapons have likely been used in Syria gives the Obama administration a new opening to press Russia to support UN Security Council condemnation of the Assad government, but is unlikely to lead to direct US military intervention in the Syrian civil war.
“We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized,” Obama told NBC. “That would change my calculus. That would change my equation.”
However, his administration has been coy about what action it would take to respond to such cases.
