WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday cleared the way for the U.S. to send chemical weapons-related assistance to the Syrian opposition, as well as international organizations working inside the war-torn Middle Eastern country.

The move comes nearly a month after a deadly chemical weapons attack near Damascus that raised the specter of a U.S. military strike and resulted in a diplomatic deal aimed at stripping Syria of its stockpiles of deadly gases. While the White House says the international response should deter future attacks, the authorization of chemical weapons-related assistance signaled the U.S. was at least preparing for the possibility that the deadly gases might be used again.

The White House said the non-lethal assistance could fall into three categories:

• Chemical weapons-related “personal protective” equipment to international organizations working in Syria, including the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

• Medical assistance to strengthen local Syrian health care providers’ ability to prepare for and respond to the use of chemical weapons

• Defensive chemical weapons training and protective equipment to vetted members of the Syrian opposition to protect against the use of deadly gases.

A senior Obama administration official said the assistance and training would not give the Syrian opposition the ability to prepare, deploy or move the chemical weapons stockpiles.