US says strikes on Syria ‘will be heavier’ given the delay

WASHINGTON — An American strike on Syria would be heavier than originally planned because President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has been given time to disperse its forces, officials have briefed the US press.

At first, the plans called for a relatively limited attack involving about 50 targets, according to US media reports.

But the delay imposed by President Barack Obama’s decision to allow a vote in Congress has given the Syrians a breathing space to spread their forces, including chemical weapons, around the areas of the country they still control, according to the Daily Telegraph.

A businessman who recently visited Damascus said that military barracks in the capital had been evacuated and soldiers were now billeted in schools.

The White House has responded by asking the Pentagon for an expanded target list. The latest plans provide for an initial strike, following by mopping up operations to destroy any surviving targets, with the whole campaign to be finished within 72 hours.

More forces would be used than first planned. Five US destroyers, presently deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, are likely to be used to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles. In addition, the air force may employ B2 bombers armed with stand-off weapons.

“There will be several volleys and an assessment after each volley, but all within 72 hours and a clear indication when we are done,” one official familiar with the planning told the “Los Angeles Times”.

When he decide to call a vote in Congress, Mr Obama said the military option had no time limit and would be equally effective whenever it was launched. He will address the nation from the White House on Tuesday as he tries to secure Congressional approval for military strikes.

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, said on Sunday that any US campaign would be specifically targeted on “degrading” the Syrian regime’s ability to use chemical weapons. AGENCIES