US: Chemical weapon against the rebel? Red line crossed

Claims and counterclaims came thick and fast Friday in response to the White House's declaration hours earlier that it believes the Syrian government has crossed a "red line" in using chemical weapons against rebels. That conclusion -- declared for the first time Thursday -- is prompting the United States to increase the "scale and scope" of its support for the opposition, the White House said, although officials stopped short of saying it will put weapons in the hands of rebels.The U.S. report won backing from the British government Friday -- but Syria and its allies in Moscow quickly sought to cast its integrity into doubt. The Syrian foreign ministry accused Washington of releasing "a statement full of lies regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria," according to a statement on state TV.And a government statement reported by state news agency SANA accused the United States of using "flagrant tricks to come up with any possible mean to justify the decision of President Barack Obama to arm the Syrian opposition." Washington is "clearly exercising scandalous double standards in dealing with terrorism," the statement said. The Syrian government under President Bashar al-Assad habitually refers to the rebels as terrorists. An Assad loyalist who spoke to CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Damascus said he believes the United States is "inventing stories" about the government's use of chemical weapons "because our army is winning." A boost in support by the United States for the rebels could put at risk the gains made by Syrian forces in recent days, especially in central and northern Syria, with the help of Hezbollah fighters from Iran. But many questions remain over what form the U.S. support could take and whether it would include the provision of small arms and ammunition, or heavy arms such as anti-aircraft weapons. U.S. Sen. John McCain, who has repeatedly called on the Obama administration to step up its support of the rebels, told CNN's Situation Room on Thursday that the rebels need anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons. "They need a lot more military assistance," McCain, an Arizona Republican, said, adding that the United States and its allies also need to "establish a 'no-fly' zone to create a safe area" within Syria. "You can't do it with half measures. You can't do it with just supplying weapons," he said.