Syrian crisis: Latest developments

By CNN Staff

September 2, 2013 -- Updated 1946 GMT (0346 HKT)

A man mourns over the bodies of those killed in a suspected chemical weapon attack in a suburb of Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday, August 21. Syrian rebels said that poisonous gas rained down from rockets overnight, but authorities have denied the allegations that they used chemical weapons and accused the opposition of staging the attacks. U.S. officials, however, said there were "strong indications" that there was a chemical weapons attack by the government.

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Suspected chemical attack in Syria

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Should the West intervene in Syria? Tell us what you think.

(CNN) -- The world is waiting to see whether the United States will strike against the Syrian regime -- and whether anyone will join in.

U.S. President Barack Obama said there's no doubt Syria used chemical weapons on its own civilians and he wants to launch attacks, but he first wants to get Congress' approval after lawmakers come back from recess September 9.

Meanwhile, a flurry of other developments has emerged. Here are the latest developments for Monday:

LATEST

-- U.S. Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, both Republicans, met Monday with President Obama on Syria. Afterward, McCain told reporters that he is more supportive of a limited military strike on Syria than he had been before the meeting, partly because the administration signaled increased support for the Syrian opposition.

-- McCain, of Arizona, also said that congressional rejection of a resolution authorizing U.S. military force in Syria would be "catastrophic," adding it would "undermine the credibility of the United States and the president of the United States."

-- McCain said he was "astounded" that Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey had stated a timeline for an attack on Syria made little difference. McCain said anyone who knows military strategy understands that waiting made it "much harder than if we had acted initially."

-- Graham, of South Carolina, said that "there seems to be emerging from this administration a pretty solid plan to upgrade the opposition" in Syria and to "get regional players more involved" in shifting the balance of the Syrian civil war against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. EFFORTS

-- The Obama administration will conduct classified briefings regarding Syria for Congress almost every day this week, CNN's Dana Bash has learned.

--Secretary of State John Kerry told House Democrats in a phone call Monday that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have offered military assets for any action planned for Syria, two sources on the call told CNN's Dana Bash. Kerry also said more countries will move toward supporting such action. The sources said 127 Democratic lawmakers were on the 70-minute call with Kerry, National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey.

-- Kerry will testify before congressional committees Wednesday, congressional sources said. He will testify to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper will testify in a classified briefing for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

-- Sens. Harry Reid and Robert Menendez, two top Democrats, are working to narrow the scope of President Obama's proposed authorization to use force in Syria, a Democratic leadership source said Monday. There have been concerns that the original draft doesn't have an expiration date and doesn't explicitly prohibit forces on the ground.

Neely: Obama weakened by Syria decision

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Saudi Arabia backs action in Syria

-- Even if Obama gets Congress' approval to strike Syrian targets, he might still violate international law. Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a president can initiate an attack as long as he notifies Congress within 48 hours. But that's a U.S. law. The United Nations' charter generally doesn't allow countries to attack other nations unless in self-defense or with approval from the U.N. Security Council -- neither of which is the case in Syria.

Congressional approval wouldn't solve the problem with international law, a senior administration official said, but it would enhance the legitimacy of military action.

-- Several U.S. Navy ships are now in the Red Sea, a U.S. official said Monday. A second official said the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is not expected to participate in combat operations over Syria, but that the ship is there for a greater U.S. military presence in the region.

-- U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will testify about "military strategy and justification for the use of force" at Tuesday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Syria, a U.S. official told CNN. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement had not yet been made.

-- Secretary of State John Kerry will testify Tuesday at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Syria, a Senate Democratic source said Monday.

NATO

-- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he thinks a "strong response to the use of chemical weapons is needed." But, he told reporters in Brussels on Monday, he doesn't "see a long-term sustainable military solution" to the Syrian conflict and stressed the need for a "political process."

-- Rasmussen said he's "convinced that the Syrian regime is responsible" for a chemical attack last month. He said "many facts" point to that conclusion.

-- Asked about alleged chemical weapons use in Syria, Rasmussen said there needs to be a firm international reaction to avoid future chemical attacks. "It would send a very dangerous signal to dictators all over the world if we stand ... by and don't react," he said. "The question is how to react and when to react."

-- NATO is playing its part in the crisis in Syria through the deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey for protection of that country's population, Rasmussen told reporters Monday. But if Turkey, a NATO member, is attacked, allies would have to gather and discuss how to respond. "We are prepared to defend Turkey effectively," he said.

SYRIA REACTION

-- The Middle East "is a powder keg" that will explode if Syria is attacked, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told French newspaper Le Figaro in an interview published in part Monday.

-- The pro-regime Syrian Electronic Army appears to have hacked the U.S. Marines recruitment website, marines.com, and posted a letter urging Marines not to attack Syria.

The full text reads:

"Message to the United States Marine corps:

Dear US Marines,

This is a message written by your brothers in the Syrian Army, who have been fighting Al Qaeda for the last 3 years.

We understand your patriotism and love for your country so please understand our love for ours.

Obama is a traitor who wants to put your lives in danger to rescue Al Qaeda insurgents.

Life as a journalist in Syria not easy

Kerry: Evidence of sarin gas in Syria

McCain: I want to see if there is a plan

Analyzing Obama's risky move

Marines, please take a look at what your comrades think about Obama's alliance with Al Qaeda against Syria.

Your officer in charge probably has no qualms about sending you to die against soldiers just like you, fighting a vile common enemy. The Syrian army should be your ally not your enemy.

Refuse your orders and concentrate on the real reason every soldier joins their military, to defend their homeland.

You're more than welcome to fight alongside our army rather than against it.

Your brothers, the Syrian army soldiers. A message delivered by the SEA "

-- The Syrian regime has asked the U.N. chief to step in. "The Syrian government calls on the U.N. Secretary General to shoulder his responsibilities for preventing any aggression on Syria," the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported Monday.

-- On the ground, at least 118 people were killed across Syria on Sunday, including 13 children, the opposition group Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. The United Nations has said more than 100,000 people have been killed since the Syrian crisis started two years ago.

INTERNATIONAL REACTION

-- The Chinese foreign affairs spokesman said China has noted the U.S. claim of chemical weapons evidence and said the United States has briefed China about the situation.

"We are gravely concerned that some country may take unilateral military actions," the Chinese foreign affairs spokesman, Hong Lei, said Monday. "We believe that any action taken by the international community should abide by the purposes and principles of the U.N. charter" and should avoid "bringing more disasters to the Middle East region."

When asked if China would possibly support sanctions against Syria, Hong said, "I think any action taken by the international community should be based on the results of relevant investigations. The results should tell us whether chemical weapons have been used and who used it. Based on (those) results, the international community can take actions."

-- Russia says it doesn't buy U.S. claims that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons. "We absolutely were not convinced by that (evidence) that our American partners, as well as the British and the French, showed us," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency. "There are no facts, there's only talk about what we know for certain. When we ask for more detailed evidence, they say, 'You know, it's all secret, so we can't show you.' That means that there are no such facts."

-- Russia plans to send a delegation of lawmakers to the United States to meet with members of Congress over Syria, Russian state-run news outlet RIA Novosti reported Monday, citing a top parliament member.