Obama: US may act if Syria uses chemical weapons

US President Barack Obama bluntly warned Syrian president Bashar al-Assad not to cross a “red line” by using chemical or biological weapons in his country’s bloody conflict and suggested that such action would prompt the United States to consider a military response. This August 20 statement was Obama’s strongest language to date on the issue, and he warned Syria not only against using its unconventional weapons, but against moving them in a threatening fashion. Obama said the issue was of concern not only to Washington but also to its close allies in the region, including Israel. Obama has been reluctant to get the US involved in another war in the Middle East, even refusing to arm rebels fighting a 17-month-old uprising against Assad. Syria last month acknowledged for the first time that it had chemical and biological weapons and said it could use them if foreign countries intervene – a threat that drew strong warnings from Washington and its allies.

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