U.N. Inspectors Will Investigate Chemical Weapons Use In Syria

The United Nations says it is sending inspectors to the site of a suspected chemical weapons attack in Damascus, Syria.

In a statement, a spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said the Bashar Assad regime “affirmed that it will provide the necessary cooperation” for the investigation, so inspectors, who are already in Damascus, will head to the Ghouta area on Monday.

A senior Obama administration official dismissed the Syrian concessions.

“At this juncture, the belated decision by the regime to grant access to the UN team is too late to be credible, including because the evidence available has been significantly corrupted as a result of the regime’s persistent shelling and other intentional actions over the last five days,” the official said, adding that there is “little doubt” that a “chemical weapon was used by the Syrian regime against civilians in this incident.”

The president, however, is still assessing the situation to “make an informed decision about how to respond to this indiscriminate use of chemical weapons.”

Earlier today the United States and Britain said that Syria will face a “serious response” from the international community, if they find it used chemical weapons last week.

All of this new rhetoric is, of course, the result of the alleged use of chemical weapons in Damascus. , Doctors Without Borders said that according to field reports, “355 people had died from symptoms consistent with being exposed to a neurotoxic agent.”

More From The New York Times: