September 3, 2013

President Barack Obama met with key congressional committee leaders to press for congressional approval of a military response to what American intelligence agencies believe was a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government on its own people on August 21. The president told congressional leaders that any U.S. military strike on Syria will be “limited and proportional,” again declaring that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must be held accountable for the attack. According to U.S. intelligence agencies, the death toll from the attack on a Damascus suburb totaled 1,429, including 426 children. Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey also testified today before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Congress is expected to begin debate on the Syrian situation during the week of September 8.

A United Nations weapons inspector. (Reuters/Getty Images)

In Paris, French President Francois Hollande called for a united European response to the attack: “When a chemical massacre takes place,” he stated, “when the world is informed of it, when the evidence is delivered, when the guilty parties are known, then there must be an answer.” However, the British House of Commons voted on August 29 against participating in any military intervention in Syria.

Earlier today, the United Nations (UN) confirmed that the civil war in Syria has made refugees of more than 2 million Syrians. Many have fled Syria for either Turkey and Jordan. UN officials estimate that more than 100,000 people have died since the uprising against Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.

Additional World Book articles:

• Chemical weapons convention
• Syria: The Roots of Rebellion (a special report)
• The Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)
• Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)
• Syria 2012 (a Back in Time article)

June 14, 2013

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a statement yesterday dismissing as “a caravan of lies” claims that his military had used chemical weapons on rebel forces. The statement came soon after the administration of President Barack Obama announced that the United States will give rebels “direct military aid” in the form of weapons. President Obama made that decision after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded Syrian forces under Assad were, in fact, using chemical weapons, including the nerve gas sarin, against the opposition. Sarin is a nerve agent 20 times as deadly as cyanide. It was one of a group of nerve agents Hitler had German scientists invent in preparation for World War II.

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has been accused by U.S. officials of using chemical weapons against rebels challenging his rule. (AP/Wide World)

On June 13, the United Nations (UN) reported that at least 93,000 people have been killed in Syria since the start of the conflict in March 2011. More than 80 percent of those killed were men. However, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented the deaths of more than 1,700 children under the age of 10. The office has also uncovered evidence that Assad’s forces have tortured and executed children.

Additional World Book articles:

• Syria: The Roots of Rebellion (a special report)
• The Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)
• Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)
• Syria 2012 (a Back in Time article)