US considers 'limited act' in Syria

Mr Obama stressed that no "final decision" had been made, but ruled out putting American "boots on the ground".
Citing a US intelligence assessment , Secretary of State John Kerry accused Syria of using chemical weapons to kill 1,429 people, including 426 children.
Syria said the US claim was "full of lies", blaming rebels for the attack.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier said his country would defend itself against any Western "aggression". French President Francois Hollande has reaffirmed his support for the US stance.
But Russia - a key ally of Syria - has warned that "any unilateral military action bypassing the UN Security Council" would be a "direct violation of international law".
World's 'obligation'
Speaking on Friday, President Obama said the alleged attack in Damascus' suburbs on 21 August was "a challenge to the world" that threatened America's "national security interests".
"We cannot accept a world where women and children and innocent civilians are gassed on a terrible scale.
"The world has an obligation to make sure that we maintain the norm against the use of chemical weapons."
But the US leader stressed that Washington was "looking at the possibility of a limited, narrow act", and there would be "no boots on the ground" or "long-term campaign".
Mr Obama comments came shortly after Secretary of State John Kerry laid out a raft of what Washington said was a "high confidence" intelligence assessment about the attack.
The main findings of the released unclassified summary state that:
-
the attack killed 1,429 people, including 426 children
-
Syrian military chemical weapons personnel were operating in the area in the three days before the attack
-
Satellite evidence shows rockets launched from government-held areas 90 minutes before first report of chemical attack
-
100 videos attributed to the attack show symptoms consistent with exposure to nerve agent
-
Communications were intercepted involving a senior Damascus official who "confirmed chemical weapons were used" and was concerned about UN inspectors obtaining evidence
The US said its assessment was backed by accounts from medical personnel, witnesses, journalists, videos and thousands of social media reports.
Full version on BBC