Israel urges US action over Syrian chemical weapons

[NBCNews]

White House officials strongly suggested Thursday that Bashar al-Assad's regime has used chemical weapons against rebels because of a nerve agent found in victims near Aleppo.By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC NewsThe United States faces a test of its resolve after Syria’s apparent use of chemical weapons crossed a "red line" set by President Barack Obama, an Israeli government official said on Friday, adding to a growing chorus of calls for tougher action against Bashar Assad’s regime.

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Zev Elkin, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that world powers may now conclude that there was “no avoiding” action to take control of Assad’s chemical stockpile.

The U.K.’s Prime Minister David Cameron also said Friday there was “limited” but “growing” evidence that chemical weapons had been used in Syria “probably by the regime.”

Obama has said the use of chemical weapons by Assad would be a "game-changer."

Reuters reported that Elkin told Israel’s Army Radio on Friday that "there is a question here of when you set a red line, do you stand behind it?"After two years of Syria's bloody civil war, the Obama administration inched ever so slightly toward U.S. military intervention on Thursday. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.“Now that the Americans' red line has apparently been crossed, there is a test,” he added. "It is clear that if the United States wants to and the international community wants to, it could act - inter alia, militarily - to take control of the chemical weapons, and then all the fears ... will not be relevant.”

Elkin did not elaborate on what U.S. tactics he envisaged in the interview.

He said in the interview that he expected world powers to clarify their position on Syria "in the coming days."

"It could be that the moment the international community understands that indeed the red lines were crossed, and indeed the weaponry was used, they will understand that there is no avoiding this action - that instead of leaving things in the fog, it is time to take control (of the arsenal)," he added.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military published intelligence findings that Assad's forces had used chemical weapons repeatedly in recent months.

Part of Israel's concern is that chemical weapons could fall into the hands of Islamist militants.

Cameron told BBC News in an interview on Friday that there were increasing indications that chemical weapons had been used.U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell addresses the steps that are being taking to investigate claims that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons on its own people.“It’s limited evidence, but there is growing evidence ... of the use of chemical weapons, probably by the regime,” he said. “It’s extremely serious. This is a war crime and we should take it very seriously.”

Cameron added that work was under way to try to verify the evidence obtained so far.

He told the BBC that he did not want to see British troops on the ground in Syria, but added “I think we can step up the pressure on the regime.”

Sen. John McCain, R.-Ariz., said on Thursday that the Obama administration should now consider a military approach in Syria he has been advocating for two years that falls short of boots on the ground.

“That is to provide a safe area for the opposition to operate and to establish a no-fly zone and provide weapons to the people in the resistance who we trust,” McCain said.The White House said on Thursday that the U.S. believes the Assad regime has used chemical weapons, an act that President Obama has previously said would be crossing a "red line." NBC's Jim Mikleszewski reports.“I think it's pretty obvious that red line has been crossed," he said.

However, the U.S.’s response is dogged by the legacy of flawed intelligence about weapons of mass destruction that led to the invasion of Iraq.

One senior U.S. defense official told reporters Thursday, "We have seen very bad movies before" — referring to previous instances where initial intelligence was proven wrong.

The White House said Thursday that the U.S. believes "with some degree of varying confidence" that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons — specifically the nerve agent sarin — against its own people.

A letter from the White House to members of Congress said the assessment was based on "physiological samples" but called for a United Nations probe to corroborate it and nail down when and how they were used.

"We are continuing to do further work to establish a definitive judgment as to whether or not the red line has been crossed and to inform our decision-making about what we'll do next," a White House official said.

Reuters contributed to this report.Slideshow: Syria uprising / A look back at the conflict that has overtaken the country.Launch slideshowRelated:

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