From the Christian Science Monitor ~German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported yesterday that intercepted Syrian regime communications indicate that a chemical weapons attack did occur – but without Assad’s approval.
The Guardian reports that a German surveillance ship operated by Berlin’s intelligence service heard regime forces repeatedly request permission to use chemical weapons but that Assad “blocked numerous requests.”
But the intercepts tended to add weight to the claims of the Obama administration and Britain and France that elements of the Assad regime, and not renegade rebel groups, were responsible for the attack in the suburb of Ghouta, Bild said.
…
The German intelligence findings concerning Assad’s personal role may complicate US-led efforts to persuade the international community that punitive military action is justified. They could also strengthen suspicions that Assad no longer fully controls the country’s security apparatus.
Addressing a closed meeting of the German parliamentary committee last week, the BND chief Gerhard Schindler said his agency shared the US view that the attack had been launched by the regime and not the rebels. But he said the spy agency had not [had] conclusive evidence either way, German media reported.
Schindler said that BND had intercepted a telephone call in which a high-ranking member of Hezbollah in Lebanon told the Iranian embassy in Damascus that Assad had made a big mistake when he gave the order to use the chemicals, the magazine Der Spiegel said.”

This explains the reportedly intercepted “chatter” right after the attack where the Syrian Generals were freaking out “Who did that?” “We weren’t supposed to do that.” I think they are ruling out the AQ type rebels. If it was one of Assad’s generals (likely) he could be dead by now. Many intelligence believe Assad did not directly order the strike.