The Associated Press
Published Monday, Jul. 23, 2012 6:17AM EDT
Last Updated Monday, Jul. 23, 2012 1:49PM EDT
The United States warned Syria Monday not to even consider using chemical weapons after Damascus raised the possibility of employing its stockpile of unconventional arms in the case of an outside attack.
“They should not think one iota about using chemical weapons,” Pentagon press secretary George Little told reporters.
“We have been very strong in our statements inside the US government on the prospective use of chemical weapons and it would be entirely unacceptable,” Mr. Little said.
His comments came after Syria acknowledged it has chemical weapons and said it would use them in case of a foreign attack though not against its own civilians, amid a bloody conflict between regime troops and rebel forces.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said the stockpiles are secure. “No chemical or biological weapons will ever be used, and I repeat, will never be used, during the crisis in Syria no matter what the developments inside Syria,” he said in conference broadcast on state TV. “All of these types of weapons are in storage and under security and the direct supervision of the Syrian armed forces and will never be used unless Syria is exposed to external aggression.”
Syria is believed to have nerve agents as well as mustard gas, Scud missiles capable of delivering these lethal chemicals and a variety of advanced conventional arms, including anti-tank rockets and late-model portable anti-aircraft missiles.
A senior U.S. intelligence official said the Syrians have moved chemical weapons material from the northern end of the country, where the fighting was fiercest, apparently to both secure it, and to consolidate it, which U.S. officials considered a responsible step.
But there has also been a disturbing rise in activity at all the installations, so the U.S. intelligence community is intensifying its monitoring efforts to track the weapons and try to figure out whether the Syrians are trying to use them, the official said. A surge of satellite mapping was evidenced by the release of dozens of unclassified images of Syria on Friday.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the still-evolving investigation.
The warning by foreign ministry spokesman Mr. Makdissi coincides with mounting international concern that Damascus may deploy its chemical arsenal to crush a 16-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
“When chemical weapons are mentioned in the press by Syrian officials, that raises concerns,” Mr. Little said.
“We would strongly object -- to put it mildly -- to any thinking that would generate a motivation on the part of the Syrian regime to employ these weapons,” he added.
The White House said on Sunday that the United States would “hold accountable” any Syrian official involved in the release or use of the country’s chemical weapons.
Israel has warned it could take military action against Syria if any of the regime’s unconventional or advanced weapons end up in the hands of Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the fate of Syria’s weapons stockpiles was of greater concern to him than who or what would replace the Assad regime.
The Pentagon spokesman said the United States has discussed the situation in Syria and the regime’s stockpiles of chemical weapons with allies, including Israel, but declined to comment on Israel’s warnings of potential military action.
The Syrian regime “has responsibility for the security of these stockpiles,” Mr. Little said, adding, it has “a responsibility to uphold that obligation.”
