With the 22 Arab League member stopping well short of endorsing outside military action - though urging the UN to agree on 'deterrent' measures - the burden of proof for attacking the Assad regime remains firmly on the shoulders of the US.
As as the WaPo reports [5] that the administration is planning to release evidence possibly as soon as Thursday, that it will say proves that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad bears responsibility for what U.S. officials have called an “undeniable” chemical attack that killed hundreds on the outskirts of the Syrian capital.
The Obama administration believes that U.S. intelligence has established how Syrian government forces stored, assembled and launched the chemical weapons. This stands in direct opposition to Putin who said his government "did not have evidence of whether a chemical weapons attack had taken place, or who was responsible."
The Syrian foreign minister warned that thinking a US attack will change the balance of power is "delusional," and in an odd sense of Iraq deja vu, he added "if they want to attack Syria ...using the lie of chemical weapons is fake and not accurate."
Via WaPo, [5]
The Obama administration believes that U.S. intelligence has established how Syrian government forces stored, assembled and launched the chemical weapons allegedly used in last week’s attack outside Damascus, according to U.S. officials.
The administration is planning to release evidence, possibly as soon as Thursday, that it will say proves that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad bears responsibility for what U.S. officials have called an “undeniable” chemical attack that killed hundreds on the outskirts of the Syrian capital.
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“We are prepared,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the BBC on Tuesday. “We have moved assets in place to be able to fulfill and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take. We are ready to go.” The assets include four cruise-missile-armed destroyers in the Mediterranean.
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In a telephone call Tuesday with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his government “did not have evidence of whether a chemical weapons attack had taken place, or who was responsible,” a statement on Cameron’s official Web site said.
The Obama administration has rejected the possibility of rebel culpability, asserting that only the government has possession of the weapons and the rockets to deliver them.
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The 22 league members stopped well short of endorsing outside military action, but they urged the U.N. Security Council to agree on “deterrent” measures.
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Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said Tuesday that charges of chemical weapons use by the government are “categorically baseless,” ... “We all hear the drums of war around us,” Moualem said. “If they want to attack Syria, I think that using the lie of chemical weapons is fake and not accurate, and I challenge them to show evidence.”
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Polls taken before last week’s alleged chemical attack consistently showed Americans opposed to U.S. intervention in Syria.