02/09/2013 09:48
Syria minister: US strike on Syria 'would benefit al-Qaeda'
Any US military action against Syria would amount to "support for al-Qaeda and its affiliates," Damascus has said, according to BBC.
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad also told the BBC that armed groups backed by America had used chemical weapons - not Syrian troops.
The US earlier said it had evidence that Damascus had used the nerve agent sarin in a deadly attack last week.
President Barack Obama has vowed punitive action but wants Congress to vote on the issue first.
US lawmakers are due to reconvene next week, and White House officials have said they believe they will support the president.
Campaigning to convince people and politicians that military intervention is the right way forward has already begun in America, correspondents say.
But by putting off an attack and seeking congressional approval, President Obama has taken the biggest gamble of his presidency, the BBC's North America editor Mark Mardell says.
He adds that if Congress does not back him, it would be disastrous for the president and his decision to call for a vote would look foolish.