U.S. officials said Thursday that they were “confident” that chlorine and an unnamed nerve agent were used in a Syrian chemical gas attack last weekend, according to NBC News.
Two U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence surrounding the Syrian chemical attack said blood and urine samples that were obtained revealed a nerve agent and chlorine used in the Syrian attack.
The officials also said they had intelligence from the U.S. and other countries indicating that the Assad regime was behind the attack.
U.S. officials told NBC the Assad regime holds stocks of the nerve agent sarin and has previously used mixtures of chlorine and sarin in past attacks.
The report comes as the Trump administration grapples with a response to a deadly Syrian chemical attack on the rebel-held city of Douma, Syria that killed at least 40 and caused medical injuries to another 500.
President Trump immediately condemned the attacks as “mindless,” warning that there would be a “big price to pay” for those responsible for the attack.
The Trump administration is currently weighing its options for a military response and has indicated working with allies to launch strikes on Assad forces.
