Britain and France on Tuesday threatened to use force against the Assad regime if it used chemical weapons against civilians.
The French position on this specific issue is quite clear, said François Delattre, the French ambassador to the United Nations. French President Emmanuel Macaron last week pointed out that the use of chemical weapons “was a red line for us.”
“What is at stake is the future of the nonproliferation regime,” Delattre, stressed. “So, any weakness on this would open the Pandora’s box and leave the nonproliferation architecture as a whole weakened and threatened. This is something we can’t afford.”
The UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Peter Wilson, on Tuesday said: “I think we’ve always made our position on chemical weapons clear, which is why we supported the last US strikes. If there is evidence of further issues with chemical weapons then we would act as and when we hear that information.”
A Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday that US intelligence has noticed suspected activity at the launch site of a chemical strike by the Assad regime two months ago.
“The United States has identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children,” the White House said in a statement on Monday. The White House warned the Assad regime that it would “pay a heavy price” for using chemical weapons.
On April 7, Washington fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat airbase in eastern rural Homs following the sarin attack the Assad regime launched on the town of Khan Sheikhoun. The sarin attack claimed the lives of dozens of civilians, including many children. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Agencies)
