The White House, after receiving the new assessment from the National Security Council, has decided to provide new assistance to the Syrian opposition, that new assistance will include unspecified military aid.

The decision came after the report stating that chemical weapons have been used on a small-scale and limited basis. The details as to what type of limited, direct military aid has not been revealed however.

Since April the White House has been saying that the news that Syria was using chemical weapons including Sarin have had only “varying degrees of confidence,” this new report had additional information provided by the UK and France that asserted that they in fact have used such weapons in the ongoing Syrian conflict.

The report claims an estimated 100 to 150 people have died in detected chemical weapons attacks so far and that the “red line” has been crossed. It is estimated that as many as 93,000 have died in the conflict thus far.

Senator John McCain, who has been very adamant that the U.S. should step in and assist the rebel cause in Syria with “lethal aid” called the U.S. announcement half-measures. McCain broke the news of the White House decision on the floor on the senate even before the White House announced its decision. He believes that the U.S. should be arming the Syrian rebels with heavy weapons and should consider setting up a no-fly zone in that country. McCain visited Syria at the end of May and was the U.S. official to visit that country since the conflict started, and is calling for an overwhelming force strategy. Senator Graham of South Carolina joined Senator McCain on the Senate floor to call for such a “no-fly zone.”

One such Republican lawmaker who opposes assistance to the rebels is Senator Rand Paul who told a group of evangelicals early on Thursday that the United States should not be siding with the rebels at all because of their ties to rebel groups.

While the president has backers in Congress, the decision has split the members. Many are concerned that arming the rebels increases the chance that those very same weapons will fall into the hands of groups such as al-Qaeda. A vast majority has called for condemnation yet are hesitant to see the U.S. involvement move to the next step. House Leader Representative John Boenher is calling on the White House to properly consult Congress before ramping up assistance to the rebels.

Although the United Kingdom was pleased that the White House aknowledged that chemical weapons have been used and is going forward with assisting the rebels militarily, that country says that they have yet to come to decision as to whether they will begin arming the rebels as well.

Friday, the Syrian government called the charges that they had used the weapons false and the report that stated that the report was “full of lies.” The Syrian Foreign ministry said that the U.S. is using “cheap tactics’ and “flagrant tricks.”

Moscow says that they are still unconvinced that chemical weapons have been used in Syria and dismissed the report as fabrication. Alexei Pushkov, the International Affairs head in Russia’s lower parliament said in a tweet, “Information about the usage of chemical weapons by Assad is fabricated in the same way as the lie about Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction.” Russia has been arming the Syrian government for years and continues to do so. But, Russia has held off on sending advanced weapons to Syria for fears that it will upset the balance in the conflict.

President Obama will consult with the G8 on the subject of Syria at a meeting in the United Kingdom next week.