A top White House national security official late Thursday afternoon acknowledged the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime but repeatedly declined to say if the Obama administration would impose a no-fly zone or provide offensive weapons to rebels despite this violation of the president’s "red line."
The president had previously said the use of chemical weapons such as sarin was a "red line" that would prompt the United States to act.
White House National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes confirmed the aid to Syrian rebels "includes military support" in a conference call with reporters but repeatedly declined to say it that aid would include lethal support such as firearms and ammunition.
He also said that no decision has been made on a no-fly zone despite acknowledging that the Assad regime had crossed the president’s "red line."
That reticence sparked comment from Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), a supporter of increased U.S. involvement in Syria.
The rebels "need a lot more than military assistance. We need to establish a no-fly zone. We need a safe zone within Syria," McCain said on CNN.
A U.S. military proposal currently under consideration by the White House does include a limited no fly zone, but Rhodes repeatedly stressed that no decision on that policy has been made.
McCain said it would be necessary to secure the war-torn nation.
"You have to change the equation on the ground and you can't do it with half measures, you can't do it with just supplying weapons," McCain said. "Assad is far too successful for that to be effective now."
The statements from McCain and Rhoades came minutes after the White House confirmed that the Syrian regime used sarin gas, a lethal nerve agent, "on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year."
Intelligence reports estimate that 100 to 150 people have been killed by the attacks, but Rhodes said that that tally is "likely incomplete."
The regime’s use of chemical weapons, the White House statement said, "crosses clear red lines."
McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) immediately called on the administration to include weapons and ammunition in its aid packages.
"A decision to provide lethal assistance, especially ammunition and heavy weapons, to opposition forces in Syria is long overdue, and we hope the President will take this urgently needed step," the two senators said in a joint press release.
Rhodes said the White House would not "lay out an inventory of what falls under the scope of ... assistance" to the rebels.
There will be no U.S. military action beyond increased aid shipments, Rhodes said.
"Nobody has suggested" sending U.S. troops to the country, he said.