White House says chemical weapons likely used in Syria

In a letter to Congress, the White House said that U.S. intelligence agencies had assessed "with varying degrees of confidence" that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons -- in particular, the nerve agent sarin. However, it also said that more conclusive evidence would be needed before the U.S. makes a decision to intervene. President Barack Obama had previously described the use of chemical weapons as a "red line," that would cause him to reconsider his stance on military intervention.

Officials say the attacks in question took place last month near Aleppo and in the outskirts of Damascus. “Fortunately the deaths have not been high, but there have been deaths,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

U.S. officials had cast doubt earlier this week on claims made by the Israeli government about chemical weapons. The British and French government have also reported that they believe the weapons have been used. British Prime Minister David Cameron repeated his assertion on Friday, saying, “there’s growing evidence that we have seen, too, of the use of chemical weapons, probably by the regime. It is extremely serious, this is a war crime, and we should take it very seriously.” However, Cameron also said more information was needed before a decision could be made on intervention.

Meanwhile on the ground, the Syrian regime reported on Friday that it had captured the strategic town of Otaiba, east of Damascus. A pro-government newspaper reported that troops had found tunnels "utilized by the terrorists for transport and hiding and to store weapons and ammunition." Opposition activists disputed these accounts.