Latest On Syria: That Awkward Moment When Saudi Arabia and Israel Are Sort Of On The Same Side
Secretary of State John Kerry has revealed that samples collected from the site of an alleged chemical attack in Syria "tested positive for signatures of sarin."
The lethal nerve agent was first developed in Germany in the 1930s, and is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.
The UN chemical investigation has now returned from Syria, and the UN has asked the head of the team to expedite testing of samples from the August 21 attack near Damascus. The UN has promised that assessment of the samples will be conducted in a "impartial and credible manner."
President Barack Obama announced on Saturday that plans to attack Syria will only be carried out with congressional approval.
President Obama's uncertainty has been met with disappointment from Israel. An unnamed Israeli official told the Christian Science Monitor today that "The Iranians are laughing ... and the Syrians are celebrating their triumph."
"It’s impossible for a massacre with weapons of mass destruction to go unpunished. It’s a moral issue. This is something that must be immediately rejected, punished and deterred by the international community. If not, the message to other dictatorships that hold WMD is that you can use them with impunity.’’
The Jerusalem Post has reported that 66.6% of Israelis support a Western-led attack on Syria.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has now has come out in support of a potential U.S. attack.
"We call upon the international community with all its power to stop this aggression against the Syrian people," said Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, at an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia has played one of the largest roles in arming Syria's rebels. Last month, it was rumored that Saudi officials offered to buy $15 billion worth of Russian arms, in a bid to cool ties between Russia and Syria.