Washington: US President Barack Obama is awaiting a “definitive judgment” on whether the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against rebel fighters before taking action, the White House said Friday.
The statement from Washington came as the Syrian opposition urged the UN Security Council to take immediate steps, possibly even by imposing a no-fly zone, following the US announcement that the weapons had likely been used.
British Prime Minister David Cameron added his voice to the fray, saying growing evidence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had turned an arsenal of chemical agents on his own people was “extremely serious.”
The fighting in conflict-ravaged Syria, which the UN says has left more than 70,000 dead since March 2011, showed no signs of abating Friday, with fresh clashes outside the capital Damascus and elsewhere across the country.
In Washington, where US spy agencies issued the assessment that Syria had likely used chemical arms on a “small scale” — a move which Obama himself has said would be a “game changer” — the White House remained cautious.
“We are working to establish credible and corroborated facts to build on this intelligence assessment in order to establish a definitive judgment as to whether or not the president’s red line has been crossed,” spokesman Jay Carney said.
The spokesman said those facts would “inform our decision-making about next steps,” adding that “all options remain on the table.”
“The president wants the facts. And I’m not going to set a timeline, because the facts need to be what drives this investigation — not a deadline,” Carney said, shortly before Obama was set to sit down with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
“The situation in Syria is and has been grave. The Assad regime has the blood of its own people on its hands.”
Carney reiterated that Washington backed a United Nations investigation into the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Damascus has asked for a UN probe but has since refused to let a UN team into the country.
Assad’s government only wants its claims that opposition rebels used chemical arms to be investigated. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said the team should also look into opposition claims.
Syria’s opposition urged the UN Security Council to act without delay.
“Should it find the regime used such weapons, it must act immediately, at least by imposing a no-fly zone,” an official from the main opposition National Coalition told AFP on condition of anonymity.
During the 2011 uprising that ousted long-time Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, the Security Council imposed a no-fly zone to prevent civilians being hit by regime air strikes.
But the Council has been deadlocked over Syria for more than two years, with permanent members Russia and China backing Assad and vetoing several draft resolutions that would have threatened sanctions on the regime.
The opposition National Coalition has accused the regime of using chemical weapons in the northern province of Aleppo, in Homs in the center and in rebel-held areas near Damascus.
Britain’s Times newspaper published a report on Friday detailing the killing in Aleppo of a family, allegedly by chemical arms.
The family “died twitching, hallucinating and choking on white froth that poured from their noses and mouths. Their doctors believe that they were killed by nerve gas,” said the report.
In London, Cameron — whose Foreign Office confirmed it also had “limited but persuasive” evidence of the use of chemical agents — said the international response would likely be political rather than military.
“This is extremely serious. And I think what President Obama said was absolutely right, that this should form for the international community a red line for us to do more,” Cameron told the BBC.
“In my view what we need to do… is shape that opposition, work with them, train them, mentor them, help them so we put the pressure on the regime and so we can bring this to an end,” he said.
The European Union was cautious, reiterating a request to Damascus to allow a UN chemical weapons probe in Syria.
Israel meanwhile led a push for military action.
“From the moment the international community understands that red lines have been crossed and that chemical weapons have been used, they will realize there’s no other choice than to react (militarily),” said Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin.
Experts say containing the threat of chemical weapons would likely involve a presence of troops on the ground.
David Reeths, director of IHS Jane’s Consulting, said containment operations “are extremely complex and would almost certainly require a significant in-country presence for an extended period of time.”
In Syria, fighting raged on the outskirts of Damascus, as troops battled rebels in the north, south and east, backed in some areas by tanks and militia, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
At least 130 people died in violence across the country on Thursday, the British-based group said — 53 civilians, 27 soldiers and 50 rebels.
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