Pentagon moving naval forces closer to Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Pentagon is moving naval forces closer to Syria in case President Barack Obama decides to order military strikes, U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has suggested, according to Belfast Telegraph.

Speaking to reporters aboard his military aircraft en route from Hawaii to Malaysia, Hagel declined to discuss any specific force movements.

He said Obama has asked the Pentagon to provide military options in light of reports that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against civilians.

Hagel said the U.S. will coordinate with the international community in deciding whether such an attack was carried out.

And he said it is important to make a decision swiftly because of the possibility that the Syrian government could be readying further chemical attacks.

Obama played down the prospect of speedy U.S. intervention in Syria, stressing the difficulty of ordering military action against the Assad government without a strong international coalition and a legal mandate from the United Nations. However U.S. defence officials said the U.S. Navy moved a fourth warship into the region. Each can launch ballistic missiles.