BICOM

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasised concerns that embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is readying to use chemical weapons or that such stockpiles could fall into the hands of dangerous groups.

Reports in the Independent and Times this morning claim that Syrian opposition forces have made significant gains against Assad’s troops in recent days, especially around Damascus. With President Assad’s grip on power apparently weakening, Clinton commented on the dangers yesterday saying, “Our concerns are that an increasingly desperate Assad regime might turn to chemical weapons, or might lose control of them to one of the many groups that are now operating within Syria.” Echoing a similar message to President Obama earlier this week, Clinton continued, “this would cross a red line and those responsible would be held to account.”

NBC News yesterday quoted an unnamed US official, who claimed that there is evidence that Syrian government forces have already equipped bombs with chemicals and are ready to use them once President Assad gives the order. However, the official specified that the bombs in question had not yet been loaded onto planes.

Syria is believed to have the world’s third largest chemical arsenal and has in the past been a major source of weaponry for Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon. Its stockpile of non-conventional weapons has long been a concern for Israel and on Tuesday, the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Together with the international community, we are closely monitoring developments in Syria regarding its stores of chemical weapons… Such weapons must not be used and must not reach terrorist elements.”