U.S. government reverses stance on Syria's weapons use as senators say this is more evidence that Syrian President Bashar Assad must go.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The United States now believes "with varying degrees of confidence" that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against its people, according to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the White House.
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Any use of chemical weapons by Assad's forces "violates every convention of warfare," Hagel said, since they represent "uncontrollable, deadly weapons."
A White House official said the United States will be "methodical, rigorous and relentless" as it seeks more definitive proof about Syria's chemical weapons use. The official did not give a timeline for action.
If evidence definitively shows the Assad regime has used chemical weapons, the official said, the U.S. will consult with its global allies and decide on the next steps. "All options are on the table," said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The assessment about Syria's chemical weapons use sparked a sharp reaction on Capitol Hill, where Republican and Democratic senators cited it as evidence that Obama's "red line" had been breached.
"It is clear that 'red lines' have been crossed and action must be taken to prevent larger scale use," said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. She urged the United Nations Security Council to take "strong and meaningful action" against Syria.
McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., emerging from a national security briefing, said the chemical weapons stocks must be secured and aid should be provided to the Syrian Opposition Council to drive out the Assad regime.
"I think it's pretty obvious that a red line has been crossed," McCain said. "Now I hope the administration will consider what we have been recommending now for over two years of this bloodletting and massacre, and that is to provide a safe area for the opposition to operate, to establish a no-fly zone and provide weapons to the people in the resistance who we trust."