US state department officials criticized Obama’s handling of Syria, urging for direct action against government forces

The U.S. State Department has confirmed the authenticity of an internal diplomatic cable signed by about 50 officials that criticized the Obama administration’s handling of the civil war in Syria, and called for the use of targeted airstrikes against the Syrian government.

The document emerged from an internal “Dissent Channel” within the State Department that allows employees and diplomats who disagree with administration policy to voice their concerns with superiors without the fear of retaliation.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the State Department confirmed the legitimacy of the document, but would not speak about its contents.

“We are aware of a dissent channel cable written by a group of State Department employees regarding the situation in Syria,” he said. “We are reviewing the cable now, which came up very recently,” he added.