U.S. Increasingly Concerned Assad May Use Chemical Weapons

The U.S. is increasingly concerned that Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria might use chemical weapons to put down a rebellion, White House press secretary Jay Carney said.

As it fails to stem the upheaval by conventional means, concern “has increased” that the regime might turn to its chemical weapons stockpiles, Carney told reporters at his regular briefing in Washington.

Carney refused to say what measures the U.S. may be considering. “Contingency planning is the responsible thing to do,” he said.

“The Assad regime must know the world is watching,” he said.

Carney reiterated that any use of chemical weapons would be a “red line” that would trigger U.S. action.

To contact the reporter on this story: Roger Runningen in Washington at rrunningen@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steven Komarow at skomarow1@bloomberg.net