(CNN) — Tests on samples in France’s possession show that sarin gas has been used in Syria “several times and in a localized manner,” France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced Tuesday.
Fabius did not mention who used the deadly nerve agent.
What is sarin gas?
What’s next in Syria?
The announcement comes amid conflicting reports on whether chemical weapons have been used — and, if so, who used them — in Syria, where rebels are challenging the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Earlier this year, the United States said its intelligence analysts had concluded “with varying degrees of confidence” that chemical weapons had been used in Syria. But President Barack Obama said “intelligence assessments alone are not sufficient” in guiding its assessments on chemical weapon use in Syria.
In early May, the head of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry for Syria said that evidence points to the use of sarin by Syrian rebel forces. But the commission later issued a news release saying it “has not reached conclusive findings as to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties to the conflict.”
In April, the head of the Israeli military’s intelligence research said the Syrian government is using chemical weapons against rebel forces.
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France: Tests show sarin used in Syria
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