President Barack Obama dramatically told Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on Monday not to turn chemical weapons on his own people, following US warnings his forces were mixing deadly sarin gas.
Obama publicly told the increasingly beleaguered Assad not to unleash the “worst weapons of the 20th century” in the 21st, capping a day of alarming American warnings on the Syrian regime’s intentions.
“Today, I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command, the world is watching, the use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable,” Obama said.
“If you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable.”
The Damascus government, hitting back at increasingly explicit US rhetoric, had earlier pledged never to take such a step, which the Obama administration warns would cross a “red line” and result in US action.
Adding to the impression of a quickening endgame in Syria, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi exclusively told reporters that Assad’s regime was in danger of collapse “anytime” as the opposition makes sweeping gains.