As Syria sinks deeper and deeper into Civil War the United States is reconsidering what can be done to remedy the situation. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel confirmed that the Obama administration is considering arming Syrian rebels during a press conference at The Pentagon, according to The New York Times.
Hagel was far from definitive in his stance on what can be done in Syria, instead asserting that "You look at and rethink all options."
"Any country, any power, any international coalition, in partnership, is going to continue to look at options, how best to accomplish those objectives," Hagel said.
Hagel was joined at the press conference by Phillip Hammond the British Secretary of State for Defence. Hammond explained that Britain is unable to provide any sort of lethal assistance because of a European Union arms ban, according to The New York Times. The ban will expire in May and Hammond suggested that Britain may act once it does.
"It's a rapidly changing situation," Hammond said. "We've kept all our options open. We have not thus far provided any arms to the rebels, but we have never said it's something we will not do."
One reason that the U.S. and Britain are so concerned about the situation in Syria is that it is widely believed that chemical weapons are being used in the fighting. Hammond said Britain and the U.S. have "a great deal of knowledge about the location of chemical weapons" within the war torn country, according to The Christian Science Monitor.
The U.S. knows that sarin gas has been used in the fighting although it is not definitive which side used it. It is possible that extremist rebel groups used the gas in order to gain international support, according to The Wall Street Journal.
With the debacle that lead to the Iraq war still fresh in their memories both the U.S. and Britain want to make sure that there is hard evidence of chemical weapon use before they commit to arming troops in Syria.
"There is a strong sense in UK public opinion that we went to war in Iraq on the back of evidence that proved not to be correct," Hammond said. "We have to be absolutely sure we are on firm ground and we are not looking at another dodgy dossier."
Hagel explained that the U.S. would carefully examine all of the potential risks before committing to a decision about how to handle the Syrian situation.
"These are not static situations and you must always look at different options based on the reality on the ground, based on what you want to achieve, based on the future, based on our international partners," Hagel said.
