Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has publicly rebuffed the Israeli government’s claim that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons against rebel fighters. Israel has sought to prove chemical weapons use by Syria in order to trigger the red line for intervention floated by President Obama. But speaking during a visit to Egypt, Hagel said no conclusive evidence has emerged.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel: “Well, I don’t think there’s any danger. Suspicions are one thing; evidence is another. I think we have to be very careful here before we make any conclusions, draw any conclusions, based on real intelligence. And that’s not at all questioning other nations’ intelligence, but the United States relies on its own intelligence, and must.”