US Officials: No Chemical Weapons Used in Syria

'Something Went Down,' But Not Chemical Attack

Even though the initial reports of a chemical weapon attack earlier this week in Syria were reported more or less as absolute fact by multiple media outlets, and different groups differed instead on how to spin it to their advantage, US officials say there almost certainly was no such attack at all.

US military officials familiar with the reported incident say that there are “strong indications” that no such weapon was used, and that the more evidence they get, the more convinced they are that whatever happened in Aleppo, it wasn’t a chemical weapons attack.

The initial Tuesday reports had both Syrian government officials and the rebels claiming that the other side had used a chemical weapon, but NATO says their radar doesn’t show a missile even being launched at the time, and while officials concede that “something went down,” it remains a mystery exactly what.

Hawks have been hoping this report could be parlayed into an excuse for intervention in Syria, and while they probably won’t changed their goal, it may force them to find a new excuse.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.