MICHAEL BURLEIGH: Caught in the crossfire of an ever dirtier war Until yesterday, the world seemed to have accepted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's word that he would never use chemical weapons or nerve agents against the rebels. President Obama had already issued a grave warning that the use of such weapons would constitute a "red line," which Assad would cross only at his personal peril. But the harrowing images of hundreds of dead children and adults, victims of what rebels claim was a poison gas attack by Assad's government, will test the diplomatic patience of the West to the limit. The harrowing images of hundreds of dead children and adults, victims of what rebels claim was a poison gas attack by Assad's government, will test the diplomatic patience of the West to the limit President Obama had already issued a grave warning that the use of such weapons would constitute a 'red line', which Assad would cross only at his personal peril This picture shows the dead bodies of three Syrian children after the alleged poison gas attack - what rebels claim is the doing of President Assad's government It seems highly unlikely that the pictures were faked. That said, it is odd that none of the medical personnel are wearing protective clothing, since sarin gas - which activists say was used in the attack - can be transferred from those already afflicted, with deadly effect. Since both sides have been highlighting atrocities carried out by the other to garner support from outside Syria, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that some unscrupulous rebel faction could have launched a so-called "false flag" operation to discredit the regime even further. On the face of it, the use of such provocative weapons would make little sense for President Assad. His forces have been winning ground in the suburbs of Damascus where the attack took place, so why would he or his commanders resort to using weapons that elicit such international condemnation - and will probably increase support for the rebels? What confuses the issue is the presence of 20 UN weapons inspectors, admitted on Sunday by the Syrian government itself. Their job is to investigate claims that chemical weapons have already been used in the conflict. On the face of it, the use of such provocative weapons would make little sense for President Assad Only an act of extraordinary folly, perhaps on the part of a junior commander, could explain why chemical weapons would be used with inspectors operating in the same city. While Saudi Arabia has called for a meeting of the UN Security Council to condemn Assad, his ally Russia has expressed scepticism about the seeming coincidence of this attack so soon after the inspectors arrived. But what of America and Britain? Will yesterday's events prove to be the crossing of a Rubicon, and lead to the West being dragged into a conflict it is so keen to stay out of? Until the UN inspectors have done their work, it is unlikely the US will respond with anything more than words of disapproval. What of America and Britain? The British government has done the same. But in my view, it should be careful that words of condemnation uttered after an alleged atrocity do not escalate into rash talk of no-fly zones or greater military involvement. More than anything the civil war is now becoming a struggle for world opinion in which claims to victimhood are extremely potent. This is why both sides have been very keen to ascribe use of chemical munitions to their opponents. The Syrian government got there first last March, when it claimed the rebels had killed 16 people with a chemical rocket attack in Aleppo province. On the same day, the rebels released footage of what they claimed was a government chemical attack near Damascus. Such has been the murderous tit-for-tat in this conflict. Now, with scores lying dead, the whiff of nerve gas in the air and governments on high alert, the world must wait to see if a war that has engulfed a nation is about to lurch into even more bloody territory.