The rebel Free Syrian Army also said the Syrian regime moved around stockpiles of the weapons about 15 days ago, citing intelligence from cells inside the regime.

One portion of the stockpile was transferred to the Syrian coast, and another was transferred to airports along the southern border, FSA Col. Mustapha Sheikh told CNN. Sheikh said he suspects two reasons for the move:

"First, they are afraid of the Free Syrian Army's reach. And secondly, moving the weapons to the border is a threat to the international community," he said.

The Obama administration has stepped up its discussions with Israel, Jordan and Turkey about Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles.

Israeli President Shimon Peres has said his country is preparing contingency plans to attack Syria's chemical weapons arsenal if Israel is directly threatened. In September 2007, Israeli jets bombed a building in Syria that the U.N. nuclear agency eventually concluded was "very likely a nuclear reactor."

Syria worked to clarify Makdissi's comments Tuesday, with the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency saying "the goal of the statement and the press conference wasn't to declare but rather to respond to a methodical media campaign targeting Syria to prepare world public opinion for the possibility of military intervention under the false premise of weapons of mass destruction (similar to what happened with Iraq) or the possibility of using such weapons against terrorist groups or civilians."

Makdissi sent out a Twitter message Tuesday, explaining that the Foreign Ministry's statement was only "a response to false allegations on WMD & explanation of guidelines of defensive policy."

Meanwhile, people continue to flee their homes as the violence increases. The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday that more than 10,000 Iraqi refugees have returned to Iraq in the past week. The refugees had fled to escape warfare there, and the Iraqi government is trying to help them as they come home.

"Many of the returnees have expressed their fear regarding the ongoing risks to their safety in Iraq, but said that they felt they had little choice, given the security threats in Syria," the U.N. agency said.

The Syrian crisis started in March 2011, when a fierce government crackdown against protesters morphed into a nationwide uprising against the regime.

The LCC says more than 16,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The Syrian government has long maintained that "armed terrorist groups" are fueling violence in the country.

CNN cannot independently confirm reports of violence in Syria because the government restricts access by foreign journalists.