FOXNews.com: BREAKING NEWS: Hagel Confirms Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria

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BREAKING NEWS: Hagel Confirms Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria Apr 25th 2013, 16:31 Published April 25, 2013 FoxNews.com Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday it is likely the Syrian regime used chemical weapons, a revelation that immediately raised the question of whether a "red line" had been crossed.  Hagel was citing the assessment of the U.S. intelligence community. After he spoke, on a visit to Abu Dhabi, the Obama administration swiftly released letters to Congress that detailed this assessment. They said U.S. intelligence determined with varying degrees of confidence that "the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin."    The White House stressed that this was not enough to confirm how the chemical was released and pressed the United Nations for a "comprehensive" investigation. President Obama has said the use of chemical weapons would be a "game-changer" in the U.S. position on intervening in the two-year-old Syrian civil war.  Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., suggested Thursday the "red line" had been crossed.  But Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, said more information is needed.  "Precisely because the President takes this issue so seriously, we have an obligation to fully investigate any and all evidence of chemical weapons use within Syria," she said in a statement. "That is why we are currently pressing for a comprehensive United Nations investigation that can credibly evaluate the evidence and establish what took place. We are also working with our friends and allies, and the Syrian opposition, to procure, share and evaluate additional information associated with reports of the use of chemical weapons so that we can establish the facts.  Asked if this crossed a "red line" for the U.S., Hagel likewise said they are still trying to assess.  "It violates every convention of warfare," he said.  The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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