Hagel says evidence chemical weapons were used in Syria

FoxNews.com ^ | 4-25-2013 | FoxNews.com

[servo1969]

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday the U.S. intelligence community believes the Syrian regime used the chemical weapon sarin, a revelation that immediately raised the question of whether a "red line" had been crossed in the country's civil war.

Hagel confirmed the intelligence assessment, which was detailed in a letter to select members of Congress, while speaking to reporters on a visit to Abu Dhabi. The administration swiftly released those letters, which said U.S. intelligence determined with varying degrees of confidence that "the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin."

The White House stressed that this was not enough to confirm how the nerve gas was released -- though acknowledged it is "very likely" to have originated with the regime of Bashar Assad -- and pressed the United Nations for a "comprehensive" investigation. The letter from the White House director of the Office of Legislative Affairs to leading members of the Senate Armed Services Committee said the assessment was based in part on "physiological samples."

Secretary of State John Kerry further confirmed that there were two documented instances of chemical weapons use.

The assessment is likely to prompt calls for more serious consideration of intervention. President Obama has said the use of chemical weapons would be a "game-changer" in the U.S. position on intervening in the two-year-old Syrian civil war. Obama said last August that "a red line for us" would be the movement or use of chemical weapons, adding "that would change my calculus."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., suggested Thursday the "red line" had been crossed. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., also said the assessment is "deeply troubling, and if correct, means, that President Obama's redline has certainly been crossed."

[dfwgator]

How do we know the rebels didn’t use them too?

[Sacajaweau]

Rebels likely buying the WPD with our money!! Russia has asked us to stop sending money...it just escalates things.

[Da Coyote]

I really do not give a smelly Obama about anything happening in Syria.

Let’s just wait until the muzzies slime the entire region, and we’ll then have the war we all know is coming with these evil, vile, pieces of Obamastuff.

[ConservativeMan55]

I know right?!

[Red Badger]

Sounds like 2002........

[Hotlanta Mike]

Wag the dog coming to district from the Benghazi to Boston failures and cover-ups.

[Christian1]

Only 2 days ago Hagel told the world ,he did not think they did. The man is as useless as his predecessor.

[penelopesire]

So??? For real....why should we care? Those people over there hate us!!

So Obama is going to send our troops to overthrow another ME leader to install his Muslim brotherhood and Al Qaeda buddies?

Stupid McCain already talking...old war horse wants another war?? So sick of these people. Screw Syria..let them handle their own crap.

[Izzy Dunne]

Obama's red line has certainly been crossed

OK, for 10 points, boys and girls, what does this mean?

( ) A... a BLUE line will be drawn at some other point.
( ) B... A GREEN line will be drawn at some other point.
( ) C... A new RED line will be drawn at some other point.
( ) D... All of the above.
( ) E... Absolutely nothing.

[WesternPacific]

The present administration is so blinded by their own corrupted ideology they can't even find their own red line.

[ScottinVA]

So, what the hell do you want us to do about it, Hagel? The jihadis fighting the regime are equally bad.. or worse. Stay out of it.

[ScottinVA]

Hopefully, E. Unless Israel is threatened, this is NOT our fight.

[muawiyah]

if you read the words in the story carefully there are no specifics ~ which probably means the rebels used gas, most likely on Christians.

Remember the Syrian line-up, which isn't obama's line-up.

You have Alawi and Christians on one side; and you have Sunni and AlQaida on the other side.

Other sorts of Shia are in the middle ~ everybody shoots at them.

Assad is Alawi!

As bad as Assad might be, he's not killing Christians, but the other guys are.

[UCANSEE2]

The only REDLINE Obama has is if the Muslim Brotherhood starts losing the fight.

[CMB_polarization]

Letter to John McCain concerning evidence of chemical weapons in Syria

[Huskrrrr]

Are these the “missing” WMD from Iraq?

[Blogatron]

Yeah? So?

[PGR88]

If the USA is lucky, it will be a long-drawn out civil war, it will attract all the Jihadis for a whole generation to their deaths, and both sides will lose.

[Paladin2]

Stay outta duh Islamic burning bushes....