The Syrian military has loaded precursor chemicals for the deadly nerve gas sarin into aerial bombs and is awaiting final orders from President Bashar Assad, NBC News reported on 5 December. If confirmed, the move would mark a step further in Syria’s progression toward possibly using chemical weapons. US officials told NBC News that the loaded aerial bombs could be dropped onto the Syrian people from dozens of fighter jets. But they stressed that the sarin bombs had not yet been loaded onto planes and that Assad had not yet issued a final order to deploy them. However, if he goes ahead, “there’s little the outside world can do to stop it,” one official said.
Israeli, Jordanian, Lebanese and Turkish intelligence services were reportedly in close contact with their US counterparts to decide on the next steps. US President Barack Obama warned Assad of “consequences” if he uses chemical weapons against his own people, in a new warning as the conflict approaches the 21-month mark with more than 41,000 people killed.