Syria regime forces made gains against rebels in the strategic town of Maaret al-Numan early this week, while rebels captured a military base in Homs Province, near the northern border of Lebanon. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad threatened that the civil war would continue to spread to neighboring countries and accused Western countries, including the United States, of supporting al Qaeda. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who leaves tomorrow for a trip through the Middle East, announced he is sending 200 military personnel specializing in intelligence, logistics, and operations to Jordan, though the Pentagon denied a report that the United States was planning to deploy Patriot missile batteries to Jordan. Meanwhile, Britain and France have concluded that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons on at least three occasions and has presented the evidence to United Nations.
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