"Syria has crossed a 'red line' with its use of chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin gas, against rebels, a move that is prompting the United States to increase the 'scale and scope' of its support for the opposition, the White House said Thursday."
"The acknowledgment is the first time President Barack Obama's administration has definitively said what it has long suspected -- that President Bashar al-Assad's forces have used chemical weapons in the ongoing civil war.
'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,' Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, said in a statement released by the White House."
Barbara Starr, Jessica Yellin and Chelsea J. Carter report for CNN June 13, 2013.
SEE ALSO:
"U.S. Says It Has 'High Confidence' Syria Used Chemical Weapons" (NPR/The Two-Way)
"U.S. Is Said to Plan to Send Weapons to Syrian Rebels" (New York Times)
"Syria Crosses 'Red Line' on Chemical Weapons. How Will Obama Respond?" (Christian Science Monitor)
"U.S. To Increase Military Support To Syria Rebels" (Reuters)
"Source: Obama Approves Arming Syrian Rebels" (USA TODAY)
"Red Line Crossed: U.S. Officials Confirm Syrian Chemical-Weapons Use" (TIME)
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