US ready to launch Syria strike, says Chuck Hagel
LONDON. August 27. KAZINFORM American forces are "ready" to launch strikes on Syria if President Barack Obama chooses to order an attack, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel says.
"We have moved assets in place to be able to fulfil and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take," Mr Hagel told the BBC.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said there is "undeniable" proof that Syria used chemical weapons.
The UK Parliament is to be recalled on Thursday to discuss possible responses, BBC News reports.
Prime Minister David Cameron, who has cut short his holiday and returned to London, said MPs would vote on a "clear motion" on the crisis.
Syria's allies, Russia and China, have stepped up their warnings against military intervention in Syria, with Moscow saying any such action would have "catastrophic consequences" for the region.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has said he rejects "utterly and completely" claims that Syrian forces used chemical weapons.
His government has blamed rebel fighters for the latest suspected chemical attack, which took place on 21 August near the Syrian capital Damascus and reportedly killed more than 300 people.
On Monday, United Nations chemical weapons inspectors were fired on while investigating one of the five alleged chemical weapons attack sites around Damascus.
Full story