Washington (CNN)Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday delivered a fiery response to reports that the Assad regime used chlorine gas as part of an attack earlier this week in the Syrian town of Sarmin.
In a written statement, Kerry said the United States is "deeply disturbed" by the as-yet-unverified reports. He called for a quick investigation into the allegations, though the State Department declined to spell out any specific consequences should they be proven.
"If true, this would be only the latest tragic example of the Assad regime's atrocities against the Syrian people, which the entire international community must condemn," Kerry said.
The attack, alleged to have taken place on Monday, was first reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Citing "civilian resources," the group claimed six civilians, including three children, had been killed in the attack and that dozens of others were injured.
CNN cannot independently confirm the accuracy of this report.
Last September, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) concluded, with "a high degree of confidence," that chlorine was used "systematically and repeatedly" in attacks in northern Syria, though the group did not specifically point fingers at the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian government agreed to turn over its declared chemical weapons stockpiles to the international community for destruction in 2013 as part of an agreement brokered by the U.S. and Russia and signed by the United Nations Security Council. The OPCW -- tasked with overseeing the process -- confirmed in June of last year that the final stockpile had been removed.
10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
A CARE aid worker distributes food to a Syrian refugee family. CARE has 230 staff in the Syrian region and has been working on the humanitarian crisis since the beginning.
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Exhausted and traumatized Christians from villages in northeastern Syria gather at an Orthodox Christian church in Hasakah, Syria, seeking refuge after their small communities were terrorized. IOCC and its church partner, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, is providing food, medical attention and emergency aid to more than 1,000 displaced families.
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Khalil looks out from the doorway of his family's tent shelter, in a host community in Dikmen Valley, Turkey. UNICEF has reached millions of Syrians inside and outside Syria.
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Hala, 4 months, is held by her big sister Mais, 5, in the Zaatari Camp in Jordan. Her young parents and three siblings arrived in the camp two years ago from Dara'a, Syria. Mercy Corps is helping about 3.7 million people affected by the Syrian crisis, including 2.7 million inside Syria.
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
A CARE aid worker provides relief supplies for winter to a Syrian refugee in Turkey. Many refugees struggle to find winter clothes, boots and blankets.
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
UNICEF vehicles travel a dusty road lined with remnants of buildings in the Old City of Homs, Syria. UNICEF has 380 staff working on the Syrian crisis, 180 inside Syria.
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Seven-year-old Khalil stands barefoot on broom bristles in the snow at the entrance of his family's tent in Dikmen Valley, Turkey. Khalil, a refugee from Aleppo, Syria, does not attend school. "I don't want to go to school. I will work," he said.
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
A Red Crescent volunteer speaks with Syrian refugees in Jordan. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies help 3.7 million Syrians each month. About 3,000 IFRC volunteers are working with the Syrian crisis and 47 IFRC volunteers have died in the line of duty.
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Omer, 7, lives in Jordan's Zaatari Camp for Syrian refugees. Omer says, "Winter is not nice here. We step in mud and water. Snow is the worst part of winter here." Mercy Corps delivered 17,200 tons of food and supplies into northern Syria in 2014.
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Winter makes daily life harder in Turkey's refugee settlements, especially for children who lack winter clothing. UNICEF says more than half of all Syrian refugees are children. This young woman whispered to the photographer, "Send warm clothes, please."
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
A CARE aid worker distributes food to a Syrian refugee family. CARE has 230 staff in the Syrian region and has been working on the humanitarian crisis since the beginning.
Hide Caption
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Exhausted and traumatized Christians from villages in northeastern Syria gather at an Orthodox Christian church in Hasakah, Syria, seeking refuge after their small communities were terrorized. IOCC and its church partner, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, is providing food, medical attention and emergency aid to more than 1,000 displaced families.
Hide Caption
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Khalil looks out from the doorway of his family's tent shelter, in a host community in Dikmen Valley, Turkey. UNICEF has reached millions of Syrians inside and outside Syria.
Hide Caption
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Hala, 4 months, is held by her big sister Mais, 5, in the Zaatari Camp in Jordan. Her young parents and three siblings arrived in the camp two years ago from Dara'a, Syria. Mercy Corps is helping about 3.7 million people affected by the Syrian crisis, including 2.7 million inside Syria.
Hide Caption
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
A CARE aid worker provides relief supplies for winter to a Syrian refugee in Turkey. Many refugees struggle to find winter clothes, boots and blankets.
Hide Caption
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
UNICEF vehicles travel a dusty road lined with remnants of buildings in the Old City of Homs, Syria. UNICEF has 380 staff working on the Syrian crisis, 180 inside Syria.
Hide Caption
1 of 10
10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Seven-year-old Khalil stands barefoot on broom bristles in the snow at the entrance of his family's tent in Dikmen Valley, Turkey. Khalil, a refugee from Aleppo, Syria, does not attend school. "I don't want to go to school. I will work," he said.
Hide Caption
2 of 10
10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
A Red Crescent volunteer speaks with Syrian refugees in Jordan. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies help 3.7 million Syrians each month. About 3,000 IFRC volunteers are working with the Syrian crisis and 47 IFRC volunteers have died in the line of duty.
Hide Caption
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Omer, 7, lives in Jordan's Zaatari Camp for Syrian refugees. Omer says, "Winter is not nice here. We step in mud and water. Snow is the worst part of winter here." Mercy Corps delivered 17,200 tons of food and supplies into northern Syria in 2014.
Hide Caption
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10 photos: Risking lives to save lives in Syria
Winter makes daily life harder in Turkey's refugee settlements, especially for children who lack winter clothing. UNICEF says more than half of all Syrian refugees are children. This young woman whispered to the photographer, "Send warm clothes, please."
Hide Caption
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The Security Council resolution did not prohibit Syria from developing or storing chlorine because that chemical has non-violent, commercial uses.
However, the use of chlorine gas as a weapon is prohibited by the 1925 Chemical Weapons Convention, which Syria signed onto as part of the 2013 agreement.
This month, the Security Council passed a resolution condemning the use of chlorine gas in Syria and promising to take action if it were to be used again.
"The international community cannot turn a blind eye to such barbarism," Kerry said in his statement Thursday.
At the State Department's daily press briefing on Thursday, however, spokeswoman Jen Psaki gave no indication of how the U.S. might respond to the latest allegations of chemical weapons use.
"Because unfortunately we've had discussions about these issues in the past, the OPCW would be the governing body that would oversee and look into allegations, and then it would be a discussion with the international community," Psaki said, adding that the U.S. would consult with its partners but that "I don't have any predictions for what it will mean and what the consequences would be if the allegations are confirmed."
READ: John Kerry: U.S. must eventually negotiate with Assad
In his statement, Kerry underscored the need for a prompt investigation.
"The Assad regime's horrifying pattern of using chlorine as a chemical weapon against the Syrian people underscores the importance of investigating this allegation as quickly as possible," he said.
"As has been well documented," he continued, "the Assad regime continues to terrorize the people of Syria through indiscriminate airstrikes, barrel bombings, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, murder, and starvation. The Assad regime must be held accountable for such atrocious behavior."
The Obama administration is supporting the moderate Syrian opposition fighting Assad in the ongoing Syrian civil war but has been reluctant to take direct action against the regime even as it fights the terror group ISIS in the northern part of the country.
While President Barack Obama had once labeled Syrian use of chemical weapons a "red line," he backed away from using military force to apply it in 2013 after running into opposition from Congress, and he has since made no signs of renewing that threat.
In an interview with CBS last week, Kerry said he would be willing to negotiate with the Assad regime to bring about a political solution to the conflict, though the State Department later clarified they see "no future" for Assad in Syria.
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