Syrian forces began combining chemicals that would be used to make deadly sarin gas for use in weapons to attack rebel and civilian populations, CNN reported Monday, December 3. The United States obtained intelligence over the weekend indicating this development, according to a U.S. official. Sarin gas, the official said, could most readily be used to fill artillery shells. CNN reported on Sunday that U.S. intelligence is concerned about the Syrian government’s intent regarding its vast chemical weapons stockpiles after what one senior American official described as “worrying signs” of activity in “the last few days.” Syria has had a chemical weapons program for many years with stockpiles of chemical agents, according to a 2012 report to Congress from the Director of National Intelligence. The chemical weapons “can be delivered by aerial bombs, ballistic missiles, and artillery rockets.”