Snag to Syria Intervention: Assad's Chemical Weapons

As the world community considers what to do about Syria, one serious complication keeps coming up: Bashar al-Assad's huge stockpile of chemical and biological weapons. In fact, the US and Jordan militaries have begun working together on a plan to secure the dozen or so sites where they are thought to be stockpiled, reports the Wall Street Journal. (These WMDs are legit, unlike Saddam's, according to CIA documents. In fact, the chemical stockpile is thought to be among the world's largest.)

The US and Jordan are not considering commando raids, apparently, but making sure that securing the sites is a main focus of any Arab League peacekeeping mission that might materialize. The concern in the meantime isn't so much that Assad will unleash the weapons on anti-government forces, but rather that they will quickly fall into the hands of groups such as Hezbollah if his regime falls. (More Syria stories.)