France warns Syria on chemical weapons

Western powers are preparing a tough response in case Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s regime deploys chemical or biological weapons, France’s foreign minister said.

Syria’s leadership has said the country, which is believed to have nerve agents as well as mustard gas and Scud missiles capable of delivering them, could use chemical or biological weapons if it were attacked from outside.

US president Barack Obama has called it a “red line” for his country if Assad’s regime were to use such weapons, and France has been ratcheting up its language on the issue.