Should the United States wage a strike on Syria and President Bashar Assad's forces, the attack is bound to be swift and harsh. President Obama has already signalled that a punishment is necessary for Syria to exercise restraint in the international community.

Various contingency plans will be created while locations where the chemical weapon storage areas will be the major targets of attack. The U.S. has maintained the position that Syrian should be disarmed of its chemical stockpile so that it will not be used again.

The Navy will be reposition different missile-deployed destroyers. These are naval vessels along with a missile-deployed submarine in the Mediterranean. President Obama has said that he would not rule about a U.S.-led attack without confirmation from United States Senate or Congress. Nonetheless, the United States Senate will vote on Wednesday regarding the limits of President Obama's war on Syria.

If there is a retaliation as Syria's Bashar Assad has indicated, additional firepower will be used from U.S. aircraft carriers in order to conduct air strikes. Land bases in Cyprus and Turkey could also be availed if necessary.

A more elaborate discussion of the attack would involve the following plans and strategies.

  • U.S. Destroyers: USS Gravely,USS Barry,USS Stout, USS Ramage,and USS Mahan. Although missiles may also be fired from submarines, these locations will remain a secret.
  • Airbases in Turkey and Jordan may come into play if additional military strength is needed.
  • Aircraft Carrier - the U.S.S. Nimitz has three air destroyers along with a cruiser and it is positioned in the Red Sea. Another aircraft carrier is positioned in the Toulon , west Mediterranean,

· From the Al-Dhahra airbase in UAE, Rafale and Mirage French aircraft.

Although Britain's Parliament has declined, the U.K. Prime Minister the power to engage in Syria, it is possible that France will send in their air power to participate in the mission.

In a conflicting news story, Belgian writer Pierre Piccinin, who was a Syrian hostage for almost half a year said that his rebel captors said President Assad was not responsible for the Ghouta massacre.

He told reporters that he and one of his fellow hostages from Italy, overheard their jailers mentioning that President Assad should not be blamed for the attack."It wasn't the government of Bashar al-Assad that used sarin gas or any other gas in Ghouta," Piccinin was quoted as saying by Belgian RTL radio."

"We are sure about this because we overheard a conversation between rebels. It pains me to say it because I've been a fierce supporter of the Free Syrian Army in its rightful fight for democracy since 2012," Piccinin added.

Domenico Quirico, a war reporter from Italy said in an ibtimes "It is impossible for me to say if this conversation was based on real events or on rumours and hearsay. It is not my habit to hold true conversations overheard through a door."

There have been a number of reports that say there is no evidence against Syria that is public, though the United States has claimed they have evidence.

The Human Rights Watch commented on twitter: "#Syria: Government Likely Culprit in Chemical Attack - New Evidence based on Rocket Analysis, Witness Accounts." The UN analysis of evidence collected from Syria last week is expected to come in next week. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the UN has asked President Obama to wait until a full analysis has been done on the chemical weapons tests.

When Russia's plan to disarm Syria's chemical weapons and transfer them to International forces, was taken under consideration, President Obama said, "It is a potentially positive development," but warned against any signs of stalling.

Meanwhile, John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State, has given Syria an ultimatum to Syria's Bashar al Assad to surrender his chemical weapons in order to pause a strike that looms on Syria after a proposal made by the Russians. According to a tweet by Politico on #Syria, Kerry said that an airstrike that is "unbelievable small" could be "unbelievably helpful."

"This is a continuation of conversations I've had with President Vladimir Putin for quite some time," Mr Obama was quoted as saying on National TV channels PBS, and Fox.

"If we can exhaust these diplomatic efforts and come up with a formula that gives the international community a verifiable, enforceable mechanism to deal with these chemical weapons in Syria, then I'm all for it."

Deputy US national security adviser, Tony Blinken, expressed serious doubts about Syria's openness to surrendering of weapons. "We would welcome a decision and action by Syria to give up its chemical weapons," he said in a report by the Australian. However, he pointed out that Syria's track record to date, doesn't give you a lot of confidence."

Washington said it has no doubts about intelligence information pointing to Syria's involvement in the chemical attack massacre killing 1,429 people.

"We condemn in the strongest terms the horrific chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21st that claimed the lives of so many men, women and children," a statement by President Obama said. "The evidence clearly points to the Syrian government being responsible for the attack, which is part of a pattern of chemical weapons use by the regime."

According to a statement by the White House, 24 nations have called for "strong international response", supporting the United States' position on a ban on Syria's use of chemical weapons. The updated list has 15 more nations from Albania to UK, Turkey, Qatar, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates.

The Obama administration says two dozen nations back its call for a "strong international response" to chemical weapons in Syria.

The White House reissued a joint statement Monday that nine other countries - plus the United States - had signed on to last week; the new list has an additional 15 nations and ranges from Albania to the United Kingdom. It also includes Germany, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

"We condemn in the strongest terms the horrific chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21st that claimed the lives of so many men, women and children," the statement says. "The evidence clearly points to the Syrian government being responsible for the attack, which is part of a pattern of chemical weapons use by the regime."

The full joint statement was inked by the following countries:

Albania

Australia

Canada

Croatia

Denmark

Estonia

France

Germany

Honduras

Hungary

Italy

Japan

Republic of Korea

Kosovo

Latvia

Lithuania

Morocco

Qatar

Romania

Saudi Arabia

Spain

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

"The international norm against the use of chemical weapons is longstanding and universal. The use of chemical weapons anywhere diminishes the security of people everywhere. Left unchallenged, it increases the risk of further use and proliferation of these weapons.

"We condemn in the strongest terms the horrific chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21st that claimed the lives of so many men, women, and children. The evidence clearly points to the Syrian government being responsible for the attack, which is part of a pattern of chemical weapons use by the regime.

"We call for a strong international response to this grave violation of the world's rules and conscience that will send a clear message that this kind of atrocity can never be repeated. Those who perpetrated these crimes must be held accountable.

"Signatories have consistently supported a strong UN Security Council Resolution, given the Security Council's responsibilities to lead the international response, but recognize that the Council remains paralyzed as it has been for two and a half years. The world cannot wait for endless failed processes that can only lead to increased suffering in Syria and regional instability. We support efforts undertaken by the United States and other countries to reinforce the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons.

"We commit to supporting longer term international efforts, including through the United Nations, to address the enduring security challenge posed by Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles. Signatories have also called for the UN fact finding mission to present its results as soon as possible, and for the Security Council to act accordingly.

"We condemn in the strongest terms all human rights violations in Syria on all sides. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict, more than 2 million people have become refugees, and approximately 5 million are internally displaced. Recognizing that Syria's conflict has no military solution, we reaffirm our commitment to seek a peaceful political settlement through full implementation of the 2012 Geneva Communique. We are committed to a political solution which will result in a united, inclusive and democratic Syria.

"We have contributed generously to the latest United Nations (UN) and ICRC appeals for humanitarian assistance and will continue to provide support to address the growing humanitarian needs in Syria and their impact on regional countries. We welcome the contributions announced at the meeting of donor countries on the margins of the G20. We call upon all parties to allow humanitarian actors safe and unhindered access to those in need.

"European signatories will continue to engage in promoting a common European position." With reports from USA Today, BBC, The Australian, au.ibtimes, and tv.ibtimes.com