Obama warns Assad not to use chemical weapons The US warns Syria against the use of chemical weapons as the violence in the war-torn country continues. Although opposition forces claim to have made advances in recent weeks, rumours that government troops have been moving weapons containing nerve gas sparked a determined response from President Barack Obama Today I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command. The world is watching, the use of chemical weapons would be totally unacceptable and if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons there will be consequences and you will be held accountable. While both the EU and the UN have begun pulling non-essential staff from the country due to the worsening violence, news of a foreign ministry defection has buoyed up the opposition, claiming its evidence the Syrian regime is crumbling from within. More about: Armed conflicts, Barack Obama, Bashar al-Assad, Syria, Weapons