US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged NATO leaders to give "careful consideration" to the alliance's role in the ongoing Syrian conflict, Al Jazeera reported.
Speaking at a meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday, Kerry said that the organisation should consider how it would respond, should evidence of chemical weapons use emerge.
"We should also carefully and collectively consider how NATO is prepared to respond to protect its members from a Syrian threat, including any potential chemical weapons threat," he said.
He also said that NATO's preparations until have now have been appropriate. The group has repeatedly said that it won't involve itself militarily in the confilct.
Kerry's statement comes after Israel's intelligence analyst claimed that he had evidence that nerve gas had been used by Bashar al-Assad's forces in their ongoing fight against rebel groups.
The US is yet to reach such a conclusion itself, the White House releasing a statement that it was difficult to determine whether chemical weapons had been used in the conflict.
