Weakened regime could use poison gas

The rebels' successful bomb attack on Wednesday has further dented the confidence of the Syrian regime, the left-liberal daily El País notes, concluding that this could push the government troops to take extreme action and use chemical weapons: "The crisis in Syria has escalated another notch, this time spectacularly. … The strike has shown for the first time that despite their lack of organisation the rebels are capable of rocking the very centre of power. These deaths will undermine the morale of a regime that is now accosted by fighting in the country's capital, Damascus. The number of political and military desertions within the regime's ranks is beginning to multiply. … This is not a confrontation between two opposing armies but a guerilla offensive against a regime that is fighting for survival. It is to be feared that the regime will deploy its entire arsenal in its response against the rebels and the civil population. France and the US - which yesterday talked of the 'situation spinning out of control' in Syria - have already issued an alarm about the potential use of chemical weapons by government troops."

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