Syria denies using Scud missiles against rebels
BEIRUT Syria's Foreign Ministry has denied claims that the government is using Scud missiles against rebels.
The ministry said Thursday that the reports are nothing more than a conspiracy.
On Wednesday, the U.S. and NATO said President Bashar Assad's forces had fired Scud missiles at rebel areas. Two U.S. officials said the army had fired Scud missiles from Damascus into northern Syria. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter.
Syrian government forces fired the missiles an ammunition dump seized by rebels, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reported Wednesday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. official told Martin that Assad's forces fired six missiles in the past two or three days at the depot near Aleppo in northern Syria. The official asked not to be named because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Because Scud missiles are mobile, it's unclear from where they were fired, Martin reports. Depending on the model of the missile, Scuds can carry warheads weighing between 750 and 1,000 pounds, not that much more than a bomb. The missiles aren't very accurate, and some of them missed.