The US said it is “very clear” that chemical weapons were used in Damascus on Aug. 21 and that there is “very little doubt” that the regime used them. The Al Nusrah Front reportedly assassinated an Alawite sheikh and mufti who was kidnapped in Latakia on Aug. 5. Unidentified snipers damaged the lead vehicle in the UN convoy heading to the site of the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack in Damascus. At least two mortars fell near the hotel where the UN team is staying. The head of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) claimed that the Aug. 21 chemical attack was carried out by forces seeking to frame the regime and provoke Western intervention. Russia said it would not intervene militarily in Syria, and warned the US not to do so. British naval vessels are being readied to take part alongside US forces in possible cruise missile strikes on Syria. The Syrian National Coalition said peace talks are off the table because of the Aug. 21 attack. A “source” claimed that at least four Hezbollah fighters are being treated for toxic gas symptoms after searching rebel tunnels in Jobar over the weekend.
