BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhuanet) -- The intelligence community has assessed that the n government has used chemical weapons on a small scale. However, officials also said more definitive proof was needed, and the US was not ready to escalate its involvement in Syria.

The disclosed the new intelligence Thursday in letters to two senators. And Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, traveling in Abu Dhabi, also discussed it with reporters.

"We cannot confirm the origins of these weapons but we do believe that any use of chemical weapons in Syria would very likely have been originated with the Assad regime," Chuck Hagel said.

Hagel also said the use of chemical weapons "violates every convention of warfare." It was not immediately clear what quantity of weapons might have been used, or when or what casualties might have resulted. US President had said this would be a "game-changer" in the US position on intervening in the Syrian civil war.

And the letter to Congress reiterated that the use or transfer of chemical weapons in Syria was a "red line for the United States." Obama’s legislative director, Miguel Rodriguez said the president takes the issue seriously, and they have an obligation to fully investigate any and all evidence of chemical weapons use within Syria.

Meanwhile, a senior defense official cautioned that the White House letter was not an "automatic trigger" for policy decisions on the use of military force.

(Source: CNTV.cn)