• Obama weighs options, talks with Britain’s Cameron
• Assad govt warns US military action would set Mideast ablaze
• UN inspectors press Damascus to allow investigation

WASHINGTON: US intelligence officials sought Saturday to determine whether Syria’s government unleashed a deadly chemical weapons attack on its people. At the same time, the Obama administration prepared for a possible military response by moving naval forces closer to Syria.

In this file photo, US Navy battleships are shown transiting through the Suez Canal. US military assets are being moved near Syria even as officials in Washington are discussing what action to take. (AFP)

At the same time, Obama has emphasized that quick intervention in the years-old Syrian civil war was problematic because of the international considerations that should precede a military strike.

Obama discussed the situation in Syria by telephone with British Prime Minister David Cameron, the White House said. It was Obama’s first known conversation with a foreign leader about Syria since the reports this week that hundreds of Syrians had been killed by the alleged chemical attack in a suburb of Damascus, the capital.

The White House said the two leaders expressed “grave concern” about the reported chemical weapons use, which both of their countries oppose.

A statement from Cameron’s office at No. 10 Downing St. said the prime minister and Obama are concerned by “increasing signs” that this was “a significant chemical weapons attack” by the Syrian government against its people. Obama and Cameron “reiterated that significant use of chemical weapons would merit a serious response from the international community,” according to the statement.

Noting that the UN Security Council has called for investigators to be granted immediate access to the area, Cameron’s office said, “The fact that President Assad has failed to co-operate with the UN suggests that the regime has something to hide.”

The Syrian government denies the claims. It also has warned the US against taking military action, saying such a step would set the Middle East ablaze.

Officials have said Obama will decide how to respond once the facts are known.

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