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US strikes on Syria would not be limited: Senior official

Iran Press TV

Wed Aug 28, 2013 2:45PM GMT

A senior Obama administration official said Wednesday a possible US military action against Syria would not be a limited assault.

The administration is considering more than a single set of military action and "the options are not limited just to one day" of strikes, the senior official told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

US intelligence agencies are preparing a report laying out evidence against the Syrian government after reports emerged last week that an alleged chemical attack in the suburbs of Damascus had killed hundreds of civilians.

The classified version of the report would be submitted to key members of Congress and a declassified version would be released publicly, according to AP.

President Obama had earlier directed the US intelligence community to gather information about the alleged attack. United Nations inspectors, who are in Syria to visit the site of the attack, have yet to release their findings.

The White House, however, says it is already convinced chemical weapons were used in last Wednesday’s incident and that the Syrian government was responsible.

"Allowing the use of chemical weapons on a significant scale to take place without a response would present a significant challenge to, threat to the United States' national security," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, Vice President Joe Biden became the highest-ranking American official to publicly accuse the Syrian government of using chemical weapons on militant strongholds near Damascus.

"There's no doubt who is responsible for this heinous use of chemical weapons in Syria, the Syrian regime," Biden said.

The government of President Bashar al-Assad has rejected any role in the chemical attack. Russia, a key ally of Syria, insists that the attack was "clearly provocative in nature," and that it was staged by foreign-backed militant groups to incriminate the Assad government.

The Pentagon has moved more warships into place in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and American war planners have updated strike targets that include government and military installations inside Syria.

HJ/HJ