Carla del Ponte, a leading member of the UN team investigating possible use of chemical weapons in Syria, said there were “strong concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof” that sarin gas had been used by Syrian rebels. The UN team later issued a statement stressing it had reached no conclusions, and the White House expressed doubts that the rebels had used chemical weapons. Israel said it is not on the side of the rebels, but Hezbollah claimed that recent Israeli airstrikes show Israel and the rebels have the same goals. As many as 100 Syrian solders are said to have been killed in the strikes. Rebels in the east shot down an army helicopter, killing all eight troops on board.
