President Obama says the US has presented a “powerful case” that the Syrian government was responsible for a chemical weapons attack in Damascus last month, The Telegraph reports.
In his weekly address to the nation, President Obama said: “There’s a reason governments representing 98 per cent of the world’s people have agreed to ban the use of chemical weapons.
“Not only because they cause death and destruction in the most indiscriminate and inhumane way possible – but because they can also fall into the hands of terrorist groups who wish to do us harm.”
The US blames the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad for the August 21 attack on the outskirts of Damascus and, citing intelligence reports, says sarin gas was used.
He said his decision that the US should take military action against the Syrian government was not one he made lightly.
“Deciding to use military force is the most solemn decision we can make as a nation,” Mr Obama said.
He then stressed that any US military action “would not be another Iraq or Afghanistan”.
“Any action we take would be limited, both in time and scope – designed to deter the Syrian government from gassing its own people again and degrade its ability to do so.”
He said the US “cannot turn a blind eye to images like the ones we’ve seen out of Syria”.
