The United States is considering launching a punitive strike against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, blamed by the U.S. and the Syrian opposition for an Aug. 21 alleged chemical weapons attack in a rebel-held suburb of the Syrian capital of Damascus. The U.S. said the attack killed 1,429 people, including at least 426 children. Those numbers are significantly higher than the death toll of 355 provided by the aid group Doctors Without Borders.
Here's a look at key Syria developments around the world Saturday amid heightened tensions over potential military action:
UNITED STATES:
President Barack Obama said he has decided that the United States should take military action against Syria but will seek congressional authorization for the use of force. Obama said he has the authority to act on his own, but believes it is important for the country to have a debate. The White House sent Congress a draft of a resolution seeking approval for a military response to "deter, disrupt, prevent and degrade" the regime's ability to use chemical weapons going forward. Obama said congressional leadership plans to hold a debate and a vote after Congress goes back to work on Sept. 9.
THE NETHERLANDS:
U.N. chemical weapons inspectors arrived in the Netherlands with samples the team collected during four days of on-site Syria visits. They are expected to be repackaged and sent to European laboratories to be checked for traces of poison gas that may have been used in the alleged chemical attack. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, based in The Hague, was expected to receive blood and urine samples taken from victims as well as soil samples from affected areas.
SYRIA:
Rebels fighting to topple Assad said they plan an offensive coinciding with any U.S. strikes. Syrian state TV aired Obama's speech with live translation after earlier showcasing Syrian soldiers training, fighter jets soaring in the sky and tanks firing at unseen targets to the backdrop of martial music. The potential U.S. military strike dominated the station's morning talk shows.
FRANCE:
President Francois Hollande's office said he will wait for parliament to consider possible military action against Syria, hewing a close line to Washington while asserting its independence after Obama announced he would put the issue before the U.S. Congress. Hollande noted that he had already decided to convene France's parliament on Wednesday to take up a debate about Syria.
RUSSIA:
President Vladimir Putin urged Obama to consider whether strikes would help end the violence and be worth likely civilian casualties. Putin said Obama should reflect on the results of U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq before deciding whether to launch air strikes against Assad's regime.
UNITED NATIONS:
U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said any notion that the departure of the chemical weapons inspection team from Syria opened a window for a U.S. attack is "grotesque." He said about 1,000 international and U.N. staff remain in Syria, and the United Nations is just as concerned about their welfare as it was about the inspectors. Nesirky spoke after U.N. disarmament chief Angela Kane briefed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the investigation into the alleged chemical weapons.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA:
