Syria's government accused rebels of firing a chemical weapon, marking a dangerous escalation in the fight.

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President Obama said "intelligence assessments alone are not sufficient" in guiding its assessments on chemical weapon use in Syria.

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But Mr Hagel and his British counterpart indicated that existing evidence of alleged chemical weapon was not sufficient to trigger an international response.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in Brussels that he had spoken with Netanyahu about the assertion of chemical weapon use.

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Jordan, which shares a border with Syria, is tracking reports of the attack but couldn't confirm whether it involved a chemical weapon, he said.

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And a U.S. military official directly familiar with preliminary intelligence analysis of the attack told CNN there were "strong indications" that no chemical weapon was used.

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As is often the case with paint jobs, the new anti-chemical-weapon paint needs an undercoat and a top coat.

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U.S. officials predicted before the war that at least 100 metric tons of weapon-ready chemical and biological agents would be found.

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