President Obama warned Wednesday that a potential U.S. military strike on Syria's ruling regime in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack on its own people would send "a pretty strong signal that they better not do it again," the Washington Post reports. In an interview with PBS' "NewsHour" at the White House, Obama confirmed that his administration has concluded that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons on a recent attack that killed scores of civilians. But the president emphasized that he has yet to make a decision about whether the U.S. response will include military strikes that his administration is reportedly weighing on Syrian government and military targets. "We have concluded that the Syrian government, in fact, carried these out, and if so there need to be international consequences," Obama said. "I have no interest in any kind of open-ended conflict with Syria, but we do have to make sure that when countries break international norms in regards to chemical weapons that could threaten us, they are held accountable." Obama has said the use of chemical weapons would represent a "red line," and administration officials are reportedly leaning toward a limited military response that would include bombings of strategic Syrian targets, but not the chemical weapon stockpiles that are thought to be hidden throughout the country. Administration officials have said the goal would not be to remove Syrian president Bashar al-Assad from power but to deliver a strong message that the international community will not abide the use of chemical agents. More than 100 members of Congress said they want a vote before any military strike.
