The United States has given its strongest response yet to a suspected gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians in Syria last week.
The White House insists there is little doubt President Bashar al-Assad is responsible, with the US government describing the suspected chemical weapons attack as a "moral obscenity" that is "inexcusable" and "undeniable".
President Barack Obama put his credibility on the line last August when he said the use of chemical weapons in Syria would constitute a red line that would compel an American response. Now Secretary of State John Kerry is making it clear which way the US is leaning.
We ask: Does the West have a mandate to attack Syria? What would an international intervention imply? And is this the right moment for it?
