Confirmation that the Assad regime has been using chemical weapons against its own citizens must prompt Western intervention in Syria, analysts from think-tank Henry Jackson Society (HJS) have said.

Tonight an internal memo from US and European officials has confirmed that ‘the intelligence community assesses that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year’.

The HJS has consistently argued for intervention in Syria and believes intelligence which shows as many of 150 Syrian have been killed by the use of chemical weapons is a ‘red line’ which must now lead to a robust military response from the West.

Executive director of the Henry Jackson Society Dr Alan Mendoza said: “Now that the US and Europe have accepted the evidence that chemical weapons use has occurred, it is time for the West to respond and to intervene in Syria.

"We warned that this was a ‘red line’ for Assad. Now he has crossed it we must make sure that he pays the penalty for the sake of Syrian civilians and our own credibility.”

The Henry Jackson Society think tank promotes democracy, freedom and human rights around the world through a robust foreign policy.

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