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LequteMan
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Syrian President Bashar Assad said his civil war-ravaged country "will defend itself against any aggression" in the face of rising expectations of a punitive military strike by Western powers, according to Syria's state news agency.
President Obama had saidthat the U.S. is moving toward a punitive strike, saying there "need to be international consequences" for the deadly attacks.
Mr. Obama said although he hasn't made a decision on the exact response, any strike would be limited in nature. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel reiterated, that any military action against Syria, "would be an international collaboration."
The U.K. Joint Intelligence Organisation released a report Thursday claiming "a limited but growing body of intelligence" showing that Assad's regime was guilty of the Ghouta gas attack.
The U.S. is also under pressure from the United Nations to refrain from striking Syria until a U.N. inspection team can finish its investigation which will determine if chemical weapons were used or not.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also been calling for restraint of the U.S. and its allies in the face of retaliatory military action.
But even after the inspections are concluded, a Security Council resolution authorizing force against Assadis almost certainly off the table as Russia, a permanent member of the Council with veto power, has been a strong ally for Assad.
Russian news service Interfax is citing military sources as saying Moscow is dispatching an anti-submarine ship and a cruiser to the Mediterranean. But a Russian government news service, Rianovosti, says the reassignments are part of a planned rotation and aren't linked with the situation in Syria.
Two submarines -- one American, one British -- are in the eastern Mediterranean along with four American destroyers and a fifth on the way -- all armed with cruise missiles, reports says.
Meanwhile, prospects of a Western military strike and possible Syrian regime retaliation have sparked growing anxiety among civilians in Syria and neighboring countries.
In Damascus, some residents have begun stocking up on bottled water and canned food. Israelis have been standing in long lines to get government-issue gas masks. And the stream of Syrian refugees heading to Lebanon has picked up considerably recently.
