U.N. Claims Two Chemical Attacks AGAINST Assad Forces

The United Nations probe of use of chemical agents in Syria this year out tonight with a major finding--the probable use of chems against government forces by rebels in two cases since the famous August 21 assault.  The UN in all confirms a half dozen attacks but does not yet lay blame on either side for that deadly August 21 attack.  But the claim of rebel use will make news, especially after Seymour Hersh wrote this week that they were capable of this--which some disputed.

The report, prepared by chemical weapons specialists and doctors who traveled to Syria to conduct interviews and collect samples amid active fighting, is the most detailed and comprehensive independent assessment of facts and allegations surrounding the use of chemical weapons in the conflict.

It was the first time the United Nations asserted as fact that chemical weapons had been used on multiple occasions in the fighting between the forces of President Bashar al-Assad and the insurgents seeking to topple him, including chemical weapons use after world outrage over the Aug. 21 attack, which killed hundreds of civilians including children.