UK Warns Syria of "Serious Consequences" For Chemical Weapons Use

Britain has conveyed to the government of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad a warning that using chemical weapons will trigger "serious consequences," according to Reuters quoting British Foreign Secretary William Hague. The statement is at least one adjective more severe than U.S. warnings of "consequences" from earlier in the week but seems unlikely to affect Damascus's fundamental use 'em or lose 'em calculation, under which the regime would deploy chemical weapons if it concluded that rebels were poised to successfully overthrow the regime.