Obama: No final decision yet on Syria
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama said Friday that he has not made a final decision on a military strike against Syria.
Obama said he was considering a "limited narrow act" in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, in remarks made before a meeting with three Baltic leaders at the White House.
"We're not considering any open-ended commitment," He said. "We're not considering any boots on the ground approach."
"I have not made a final decision about various actions that might be taken to help enforce that norm," He said. "But as I've already said, I have had my military and our team look at a wide range of options."
Earlier in the day, the White House released an unclassified US intelligence report, which concluded with "high confidence" that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons multiple times in the last year, including the Aug. 21 attack in Damascus suburbs.
Obama and his administration officials have said time and again that the Syrian government must be held accountable for its violation of the international norm against the use of banned weapons.
The president pledged continued consultations with Congress, as some lawmakers are urging him to seek Congressional authorization for action against Syria.