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		</div><p>Syria still possesses chemical weapons, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has said as he warned against the banned munitions being used again.</p>
<p>Speaking in Tel Aviv, Israel, Mr Mattis said: <i>&#8220;There can be no doubt in the international community&#8217;s mind that Syria has retained chemical weapons in violation of its agreement and its statement that it had removed them all.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>Although he did not give details on the amount of weapons held, he added: <i>&#8220;I can say authoritatively they have retained some, it&#8217;s a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions and it&#8217;s going to have to be taken up diplomatically and they would be ill advised to try to use any again, we made that very clear with our strike.&#8221;</i></p>
<p>He also said that in recent days the Syrian Air Force has dispersed its combat aircraft &#8211; perhaps a result of concerns in Syria about additional US strikes following the cruise missile attack earlier this month in retaliation for alleged Syrian use of sarin gas.</p>
<p>Israeli defence officials said this week that Syria still has up to three tons of<br />
chemical weapons in its possession. It was the first specific intelligence assessment of president Bashar Assad&#8217;s weapons capabilities since a deadly chemical attack earlier this month.</p>
<p>Speaking alongside Mr Mattis, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman also refused to go into detail but said: <i>&#8220;We have 100% information that the Assad regime used chemical weapons against rebels&#8221;.</i></p>
<p>Assad has strongly denied he was behind the attack in the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in Syria&#8217;s northern Idlib province, and has accused the opposition of trying to frame his government.</p>
<p>Russia, a top Assad ally, has asserted a Syrian government air strike hit a rebel chemical weapons factory, causing the disaster.</p>
<p>In response to the April 4 attack, the United States fired 59 missiles at a Syrian air base it said was the launching pad for the attack.</p>
<p>Before meeting with Mr Mattis in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters that Israel is encouraged by the change of administrations in Washington.</p>
<p><b>&#8220;We sense a great change in the direction of American policy,&#8221;</b> he said.</p>
<p>He referred to the US cruise missile strike in Syria as an important example of the new administration&#8217;s &#8220;forthright deeds&#8221; against the use of chemical weapons.</p>
<p>The Syrian government has been locked in a six-year civil war against an array of opposition forces. The fighting has killed an estimated 400,000 people and displaced half of Syria&#8217;s population.</p>
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