Kerry: 'Beyond a Reasonable Doubt' Assad Used Chemical Weapons

Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Secretary of State John Kerry said it was “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the Assad regime in Syria used chemical weapons on Syrians.

Kerry said in his “lust to hold onto power,” Assad infected the Syrian air with poisons and gassed its citizens in late August in what he said was the worst chemical attack in the 21st century. 

Kerry said the intelligence community has “scrubbed” the evidence, and it was “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the Assad regime prepared for the attacks. He noted not one chemical weapon landed in an area controlled by the Assad regime. Kerry also said the Syrian opposition did not have the capabilities to unleash such chemical weapons. 

President Barack Obama on Saturday said he would seek congressional authorization for the use of military force in Syria and that he thought limited military action in Syria was the appropriate action to take.