bashar al assad, some analysts say, may have badly misread the signals. told him president obama wouldn't enforce his red line on chemical weapons. a staggering miscalculation experts say driven by assad's unpredictable swings of behavior. >> he's quite erratic and moody. he goes from one side to the other. bouts of rationality and irrationality. >> reporter: one of few westerners to gain access to assad's inner circle. he describes assad as delusional, conspiracy minded, but also persuasive. coming across as the antithesis of a brutal dictator. >> first of all, it's not my nature to threaten anybody. i'm a very quiet person. >> reporter: and in 2011 when abc's barbara walter pressed him on the forces to fire on the opposition. >> not my forces. they are military forces that belong to the government. i don't want own them as president. i don't own the country. >> no, but you have to give the order. >> no, no, no. >> not by your command? >> no, no, no. there was no command to kill or to be brutal. >> what do you make of that bearing? he's so polite and sof

you've met with bashar al assad.ow is he likely to react to what is clearly going to be a limited u.s. military strike? >> well, he's thinking about two things right now. first, in the immediate sense, is getting things out of the way where they think the u.s. is going to strike. secondly, how do we respond? i don't think he'll do so in a meaningful fashion. there's enough evidence accumulated over the last five, six years when there were numerous israeli strikes, when there were u.s. military incursions across the border from iraq. the syrian regime did not react in any sort of dramatic fashion at all. or doing anything, quite frankly. and so he's thinking right now, how do i turn this into our advantage? how do i fit the attack into the narrative they've uttered from the very beginning, that the uprising was the result of foreign conspiracies perpetrated by their foreign enemies. how can i seem to be the victim of the american/israeli project that brought him such street credibility in the past? >> so basically you

we do not know what is going on after bashar al-assad. we have no exit strategy. we have nothing. hen i say al qaeda, i am speaking about an islamist group linked to al qaeda who could fill the vacuum after assad could be toppled. >> and talking about i question and what comes next and what could result, you wanted to add something. >> for the time being, there was a geneva convention, in october. so now if we are going to strike, striking damascus now, what is going on with geneva? are we sure with all of the groups, we fight al qaeda very much in all of these people, we have to bring these actors to the table. i fear that going to war, even if it is by some strike, it will fail. >>i see wilfried bolewski waiting, raising his hand to speak. you have the floor. >> the condition for regime change in legal terms would be as a last resort. it is the only logical conclusion to defend the entire population. against these inhuman -- >> we are not there by any means right now. >> the chairman of the joint chiefs in the u.s. wrote a letter to congress answering some of these questions a fe

avivfrenkel. >>> up next, every day the world talks about a strike on syria, the bashar al assad regimer it and possibly planning its response. plus, the man suspected of orchestrating some of the worst atrocities, we're digging deeper on bashar al assad's brother. you're watching a "the situation room" special report "crisis in syria." i asked my husband to pay our bill, and he forgot. you have the it card and it's your first time missing a payment, so there's no late fee. really? yep! so is your husband off the hook? no. he went out for milk last week and came back with a puppy. hold it. hold it. hold it. at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card with late payment forgiveness. congestion, for the smog. but there are a lot of people that do ride the bus. and now that the buses are running on natural gas, they don't throw out as much pollution into the air. so i feel good. i feel like i'm doing my part to help out the environment. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] ultra rugged phones from sprint. buy one, get four free, and $150 credit when you switch your business line to sp

what will bashar al-assad do?tion against his own people and release chemical weapons. what will he visit? who horror will he visit on the syrian people as a result? >> appreciate it. general marks, thank you-all. >>> coming up, calms for a montgomery judge to resign after he sentenced a teacher to 40 days for raping his 14-year-old student. what the judge said about the victim that got so many people angry and what he's saying now. >>> former nfl player aaron hernandez at a hearing for his murder case. what is next for him coming up. renewal notice. by about $110 a month. roll the dice. care act was passed, company to go down by about $60 a month. little guy rebecca: the law works. >>> justice today for the teen that killed the toddler in a crime that shocked the nation. details ahead. >>> welcome back. in "crime and punishment" tonight, anger, protest and calls for a judge to resign. how did a teacher get sentenced to just 30 days in jail after he admitted to repeatedly raping a student? he was 49 years old at t

the master of deception. >> reporter: bashar al assad, some analysts say, may have badly misread the believed it when his cronies told him president obama wouldn't enforce his red line on chemical weapons. a staggering miscalculation, experts say, driven by assad's own unpredictable swings of behavior. >> bashar al assad, unlike his father, is moody, he goes from one side to the other. bouts of rationality and irrationality. >> reporter: andrew tabler worked with assad's wife, running a charity in syria and has met with bashar al assad. he describes assad as delusional, conspiracy minded, but also persuasive, coming across as the antithesis of a murderous dictator. when christiane amanpour asked him in 2005 about reports that he threatened lebanon's prime minister -- >> first of all, it's not my nature so threaten anybody. i'm a very quiet person. i'm very frank. but i wouldn't threaten. >> reporter: and in 2011, when abc's barbara walters pressed him on whether he had ordered his forces to fire on the opposition. >> they are not my forces. they are merely the forces that belong to t

here's what he had to say about bashar al assad's personality. >> bashar al assad, unlike his father,s quite moody. he goes from one side to the other, bouts of rationality and irrationality. that confounded all of our attempts to deal with bashar over the years. >> he couldn't say whether he thinks assad is bipolar or not. even those close to him find it difficult to read him. his calculations in the current crisis may be even tougher to predict. you have an erratic personality who's now under a great deal of stress. brianna? >> very interesting report. brian todd, thank you for that. you can see more of brian's report on "the situation room with wolf blitzer" at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. >>> former house speaker newt gingrich is calling on the house for this. before bombing syria over the regime's latest crimes, we should stand back and ask, and then what? gingrich writes that iran is a far bigger threat to the united states' interests given its purported nuclear weapons programs. joining us now from new york to talk about this, cnn political commentator will cane here in washington,

syria's regime gassed its own people and echoed the calls of the white house and its allies that bashar al assad so if bashar did in fact use chemical weapons and trample president obama's red line, how did he get away with it? one man who has spent time with bashar al assad says he can be charming and cold-blooded. cnn's brian todd has more for you. >> reporter: bashar al assad, some analysts say, may have badly read the signals, that obama would not enforce the red line on chemical weapons. a staggering miscalculation, experts say, driven by his own predictable swings of behavior. >> bashar al assad, unlike his father, goes from one side to the other, bouts of rationality and irrationality. he describes assad as delusional, conspiricy-minded. when christiane amanpour questioned him about threatening the israel prime minister -- >> it's not my personality to threaten somebody. i'll very quiet. i wouldn't threaten. >> reporter: and in 2011 when barbara walters whether he ordered his forces to fire on the opposition -- >> they are not my forces. they belong to the government. i don't own the coun

has telegraphed the fact, that this would not be aimed at toppling bashar al-assad, that this would not be aimed as specifically changing the game on the battlefield, as leveling the playing field at all. this is simply a demonstration of will against the use of these banned weapons, weapons of mass destruction. let us not forget what we're talking about here. so this is what's going on. and i think, you know, here we are at this point right now, and what we've been watching and reporting over the last two and a half years of this carnage in syria is that it's been going on and on and on and on and on, and there has been no attempt to stop it. i mean, zero attempt. even attempts to back up the opposition with some weaponry has really had only very limited effectiveness. and i think that this is, you know, something people over there will be scratching their heads about. what is the intention of the united states and what will the united states do next in this regard? >> well, we won't know at least until the week of september 9. christiane is going to be with us. don't go too far away.

serious consequences for the perpetrator. >> opposition leaders say forces loyal to president bashar al assad fired rockets loaded with chemical weapons at their stronghold in a suburb of damascus. they say the attack killed hundreds of people. government officials say the claims are absolutely baseless. u.n. inspectors are already in syria to look into previous incidents of alleged chemical weapons use. but the assad administration hasn't allowed them to investigate the latest case. ban ki-moon has instructed top u.n. disarmament officials to travel to damascus to press the government for full cooperation. u.s. government officials are also urging syrian authorities to grant u.n. inspectors full access. >> if the regime has nothing to do with these attacks, if there was not a use of chemical weapons here, there's no reason they wouldn't let the u.n. team that is on the ground, available, happy to investigate in, to do just that. >>> a former heavyweight in the former chinese communist party is spending another day in court defending himself against a raft of criminal charges. . bo xilai was

so it seems that bashar al assad is remaining defiant against the possibility of western intervention in his country and is basically holding firm but sounds like he had quite a lot to taggle in terms of his speech there but one of the attitudes here in moscow in terms of this recent escalation well russia has been urging caution not all along in fact they are saying that the western powers should not jump to conclusions they should wait until the u.n. investigation has been completed before making any decision because otherwise it would be a tragic mistake in fact of the foreign minister of russia made a phone call to his counterpart the united states john kerry in which he wanted to draw attention to the implications what it would mean for the middle east and even north africa as an entire region if they did decide to proceed with a military intervention and basically they didn't mention the u.s. by name but they said that any attempt to jump to conclusion would be a tragic mistake they're also asking the united states to help make sure that the u.n. probe is done in a very unbiased

do you support a military strike to deal with this, to punish the regime of president bashar al assadse chemical weapons? >> i believe when the president called for a red line, and by the way, that red line has been crossed numerous times, the full credibility of the united states was put on the line. some 60 years of walk softly and carry a big stick is at stalk sheer. and one of the reasons the world behaves in so many places is because of the strength of the united states and its conviction we will do things when we say we're going to do things. i think all of that's at stake. so the very fact that you said that we're not going to use chemical weapons, that's our threshold, that we won't tolerate. and what chemical weapons were used, we're going to do something. >> you know if the u.s. were to launch strikes against weapons depots, command and control facilities, the al qaeda elements in syria, al nusra and other islamist terrorist groups, they would be cheering the united states of america for weakening their dire enemy, the regime of president bashar al assad. that's a major dile

everybody thinks something should be done but nobody will do it. >> where a thug and a murderer like bashar al-assad. >> reporter: secretary john kerry described the evidence but did not provide any, ned releasing a summary that he says proves that bashar al-assad are behind the attacks. but the u.s. says it has proof that detailed in the map provided by the white house. >> we also know many disturbing details about the aftermath. we know that a senior regime official who knew about the attack confirmed that chemical weapons were used by the regime. reviewed the impact, and actually was afraid that they would be discovered. we know this. >> reporter: what they admit they don't have, physical evidence from the scene, and they don't have hard evidence that assad ordered this attack. all of the allegations are being called lies by the syrian government. >> mr. cherry was dependent on old tales put forward by terrorists more than a week ago which contained fabrications, lies, and false allegations. >> reporter: and polls show that the administration has yet to convince that the military intervention is

for a finger pointing without gathering any proof sean thomas has the details the president bashar al assad in his interview directly refuted international claims of allegedly chemical weapons use and his forces using it against his people the bashar al assad in his interview said that it just doesn't make sense it refutes logic this is what he had to say statements made by the u.s. and other politicians violate common sense and ignored public opinion in their own countries it's nonsense they threw accusations first and collect evidence later and the one doing this is the u.s. a powerful country now the military option has always been on the table in fact the western powers have been trying to go through the u.n. channels to get some sort of a military intervention however this is been blocked at the u.n. security council by china and by russia also the western powers are kind of sitting on the fence recognizing the fact that there are al qaeda linked groups among the syrian rebels and so by backing the rebels they're actually backing al-qaeda so they wouldn't be fighting terrorists as well

strive to go beyond the pr campaigns of course and how to make sense of a leader like syria's bashar al-assad. >> bashar al-assad and his wife asma have been prisonortrayedes representing the new syria. not anymore. brian todd spoke to someone who once worked for the syrian first lady. >> she is photographed consoling families of deceased soldiers and she visits victims of the war her husband fights so ruthlessly. in a glowing profile vogue magazine called her a rose in the desert and abruptly pulled the piece off the web. these are the contradictions of asma al-assad, married for a dozen years to syria's embattled dictator. >> how does she rationalize this? >> i think it would be very hard for her to do that. i think she is standing by her man. she threw her lot in with bashar a long time ago. >> he knows asma al-assad and worked with her at a charity syria and believes she understands the gravity of what's going on there. in an interview with cnn two years before it started, she spoke about the condition of palestinians in gaza. >> think about when you put your children to bed at night and

to attack bashar al assad. though some of them are concerned that he may try to take this opportunity to also attack some al-qaeda linked rebels who have grown if size and in scope and in numbers, particularly in opposition held northern syria. wolf? >> and this is a huge dilemma for the u.s. right now. they know if they punish the regime of assad, his military, one of the winners potentially could be some of those al-qaeda supporters among the opposition. the rebels. some of those islamist groups that the u.s. has identified as al-qaeda purposes. not the free syrian, army, which is much more acceptable to the u.s. and turkey and to others, but that al-qaeda element. how significant is that element among the opposition to assad? >> these hard line islamists groups like the mush rough front have grown from small groups that in some cases in some areas, they have completely eclipsed what was the free syrian army a year and a year and a half ago. it's gotten to such an extreme, there are former syrian government s

they have interest in the continuity and stability of the party, even if bashar al-assad himself would be toppled. their objective right now is to restore the credibility of western countries on the international scene and send a strong message to bashar al- assad, you cannot use chemical weapons. >> thank you very much. moving on to another wave of bombings in iraq. at least 50 have been killed and dozens injured. this is been predominantly shiite areas around baghdad. the car bombings is the latest in a relentless wave of killings since april making for the country's worst spate of bloodshed since 2008. talks between iran and the un nuclear watchdog is set to resume at the end of next month. the international atomic energy agency made the announcement earlier, saying the meeting of the denver 27 would be in geneva where the iaea is based. it will be the first such meeting since hassan rouhani became president. he has pledged more transparency. floods and heavy monsoon rains have killed once of people -- hundreds of people and affected millions more in pakistan. authorities insist the

its population 22 million, its capital dmas cuss and its president bashar al-assad. john, we're hearing that bashar al-assad's brother is running things behind the scenes. what can you tell us? >> i know and who knew? i mean who knew there was a brother potentially behind the scenes running things. i suppose most people haven't given this much thought. here he is, he's maja al-assad. he hasn't been seen in public for the best part of the last year and those people who think they might have seen him flitting around in damascus say he might have had an injury to his hand or his leg and the feeling out there at the moment is that it may be that it was this man, mmentaja al-ass ad who was behind the attack. >> not the president? >> not the president. here you have a situation of i won't say the good brother and the bad brother but you know the idea. >> there was another brother who was groomed to be president right? >> basil, this guy died at a car crash. driving a mercedes at top speed to the airport, hit the reservation and died snanlt. that means bashar al-assad was ne

good to talk to you. >>> who is bashar al-assad? been finding out. >> bashar alah -- al-assad was never meant to be the leader of syria. his brother was meant to be the leader after his father died. but he was killed in an car accident. his father was particularly brutal. bashar was not expected to be as brutal as his father, though a third brother is often characterized that way. colin powell knows the president, and he says i have dealt with him and know him, and he is a pathological liar. he has support from his government, the military, the russians, and his religion. the aloites a secretive group. and he has support of his powerful family. syria, you will gather is a complex country. regime change would open it up to al qaeda allied rebels. but the international community is clearly calling for a realation after last week's attack. and bashar al-assad is the one the message is inning tended for. >>> last week alone nearly 40,000 arrived at a refugee camp in iraq. and refugees are angry and frustrated. >> reporter: imagine if thi

if the survivor of the bashar al assad regime is in question. ias assad is strategic for their survival. it is a warning the syrian president made back in 2011, syria, he said is a fault line. when you play with it, there could be an earthquake that would affect the entire region. that region includes israel, where people crowded distribution centers for gas masks. the israeli government deployed missile defense batteries in retaliation for a possible attack. in jordan, people are afraid, even though the government said it will not allow its territory to be used to launch attacks against syria. the government has been accused of participating in what it called a u.s. led aggression. a man recently hosted a meeting of countries likely to take part in any military intervention. >> things can be resolved without a military strike, because it will have consequences the people don't need. >> syria issued a threat, saying the country hasn't attacked jordan in the last two and a half years and that would be a shame if that had to change. the arab league

regime targets, maybe go after bashar al assad himself.hings the administration needs to sort out right now. >> what would the legal authority be, assuming the united nations security council does not approve a resolution authorizing the use of military force because of a russian veto at the security council? what would the legal authority be? >> well, i think it would be a russian and maybe even a chinese veto as well. so the administration will have to cobble together some sort of coalition of the willing. and then present it in the form of a responsibility to protect or an rtp issue. that this was a humanitarian crisis hoisted on the syrian people by its government and that the international community therefore has a moral obligation to intervene. >> and is that -- that was something that the -- that bill clinton administration used in bosnia back in the late 1990s. there was no u.n. security council resolution that was passed then. because once again of a russian veto. presumably the same kind of legal argument that was used in bosnia,

it will likely not target bashar al-assad's presidential palace and government ministry buildings fromy been evacuated but will likely focus on the delivery systems for bashar al-assad's chemical weapons arsenal and to that end, we're going to look at command-and-control targets as well as missile launchers and artillery batteries said to be in mountainous regions outside the capital, jon. alisyn: james we know some administration officials had a 90-minute teleconference with some congressional leaders last night. after words, some of the congress members they didn't feel secretary kerry gave them enough details. he said there are quote, lots of options on the table but felt he didn't spell out what those options are. do you think whatever he will say in a minute from now will include what the options they're considering? >> reporter: well, i don't think he will be explicit about that to insist all options remain on the table while the commander-in-chief makes his decisions here but there were some members of congress that emerged from that briefing among them, representative elliot an

the syrian regime of president bashar al-assad using some sort of additional chemical weapons, burns, maybe napom and the u.s. continues to say the president and secretary of state, if they don't get the message, these kinds of attacks will simply continue. >> i agree that it may well be the regime has used it and may also be the rebels used it. i think the world is the right one to accuse the -- those who have used the weapons, and the sense of it, i think, has to do with the credibility of the president. that's the root of the problem. he did say if they used chemical weapons, it will change my calculations. all right. but i think when they are planning or gearing towards an attack, it has much to do with the credibility but perhaps the credibility to attack iran, if iran does not heed the request to stop developing a new clear weapon. >> i think there is no doubt that the president of the united states and the secretary of state, they are very concerned about u.s. credibility, not only as you point out with the syrian government, but also with the iranians because if the u.s. were

play right into the hands of saad ofr al-assad. >> unofficially you will hear in jerusalem that they would very much like the united states to put an end to the bashard regime because they talk about bashar al-assad but what they have in mind is the iranian. actually the use of non-conventional weapons helps benjamin netanyahu to make a point of the fact, he said it today again, that non-conventional weapons, he means, of course, not only chemical, but nuc nuclear weapos in the hands of loose cannon regimes such as the one in syria is a risk that's israel cannot afford to take. >> i was going to ask about that. the con pli in syria has been going on for two years now. is it the prospect of chemical weapons that israelis particularly worry about or is it simply using that as a lever to try to get the u.s. to try to do something? >> the demand of gas masks has tripled today. it is summer vacation, there is a lot of israeli, international tourists, people are concerned on what's happening a few kilometres away from them. yeah, there is a -- you know, year ago i had the opportunity to interview a general who was deputy commander of n.a.t.o., head of the

. >> washington esta convencido u que se usaron ghaases por el gobierno de bashar al-assad . >> es des que las harian publicas . >> washington prepara respuesta . >> la peregregunta si es con mis o aviones y cuÁl es el blanco , dicen que esta en juego la cr i credcred credcred credcred credibilidad de estados unidos . >> es decir a rusia china poner presiÓn sanciones si ayudan a chasarc bahsb bashar al-assad . >> siria niega uso de armas q quimicas y culpa rebeldes, co o comboy de la onu hoy atacado antes de acceder a centro de i v investigaciÓn donde hablaban con viÍctimas y mediÉdicos, pudo ha mÁs de mil muertos algo que k r kerry dice que es mioralmente s obse obsceno . >> dice que como padre no se a scasc saca lde la cabeza hore que g grita con su jhijo muerto . >> hacen consultas a la casa blanca el presidente dice que debe haber consecuencioaas, pe c cuaÁndo y con quien o que ayuda. >> diario ruso dice que dssnedw snowden se quedo baravarado po c cuba no lo recibiÓ , el tenÍa n intenci intenciÓn de ir a latinoamÉrica , pero no sucediÓ porque cuba se reuso a la autoriazzaciÓn baj

strikes against the regime of syrian president bashar al-assad. president bashar al-assad. ask >> reporter: but as the u.s. weighs its military options against syria, united nations weapons inspectors are still in damascus investigating last week's alleged chemical strike. after coming under sniper fire on monday. their convoy traveled with heavy security, provided by opposition forces. today, they took more blood and tissue samples from victims of last week's attack. they'll need at least another two days to finish their work. the u.n. envoy to syria, lakhdar brahimi said today that some sort of substance seems to have been used in last week's attack, but, scott, he also warned that under international law any kind of military response should be approved by the u.n. security council. >> pelley: which doesn't seem likely given russia's veto on the council and its friendship with syria. holly, thanks very much. in texas today, a military jury sentenced army major nidal hasan to death for the deadliest terror attack in the united states since 9/11. the 2009 massacre at fort h

could the early heads up help bashar al assad? stay with us. ♪ ♪ ♪ (vo) purina cat chow. 50 years of feeding great relationships. [ chainsaw buzzing ] humans. sometimes, life trips us up. sometimes, we trip ourselves up. and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming at you, so do the solutions. like multi-policy discounts from liberty mutual insurance. save up to 10% just for combining your auto and home insurance. call liberty mutual insurance at... to speak with an insurance expert and ask about all the personalized savings available for when you get married, move into a new house, or add a car to your policy. personalized coverage and savings -- all the things humans need to make our world a little less imperfect. call... and ask about all the ways you could save. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? >>> welcome back to "the lead," everyone. staying with syria, our world lead, if the u.s. does strike syria, you really can't say that the regime wasn't warned. for days the obama administration

it matters because if we choose to live in a world where a thug and a murderer like bashar al assad can gas thousands of his own people with impugnity even after the united states and our allies said no and then the world does nothing about it, there will be no end to the test of our resolve and the dangers that will flow from those others who believe that they can do as they will. this matters also beyond the limits of syria's borders. it is about whether iran, which itself has been a victim of chemical weapons attacks, will now feel emboldened in the absence of action to obtain nuclear weapons. it is about hezbollah and north korea and every other terrorist group or dictator that might ever again contemplate the use of weapons of mass destruction. will they remember that the assad regime was stopped from those weapons current or future use, or will they remember that the world stood aside and created impugnity? our concern is not just about some far off land oceans away. that's not what this is about. our concern with the cause of the defenseless people of seyri is about choices that

despite denials from the syrian regime, the white house has said it is undeniable president bashar al-assad is behind the attacks, setting the stage for an international brawl. president hassan rouhani of iran said he will press forward with attempts to ward off military action by western nations against president bashar al- assad. he was quoted as saying that military action will bring great cost for the region. it is necessary to apply all effort to prevent it. according to state tv, he said both iran and russia would work in cooperation to prevent any military action against syria. meanwhile, the united states and its allies continue to pair for a potential strike. president obama told pbs yesterday he did not want a prolonged military intervention. >> if we are saying in a clear and decisive but very limited way, we send a shot across the bow saying, stop doing this, that can have a positive impact on a national security over the long term and may have a positive impact in the sense that chemical weapons are not used again on innocent civilians. >> the white house announced it will brie

it may well be too bad from a strategic point of view. >> why the investment in bashar al-assad? hey believe that baa similar cou bashar could be changed or reformed. if we read the wikileakss documents and reports that were coming out of syria, everyone was going to syria. nancy pelosi landed there and john kerry add chairman of the senate. >> you agree with that? >> i don't disagree with that. there was the hope if you're not going to get involved with the war then you look for some diplomatic way out. there was a tremendous amount of wishful thinking about bashar assad and his beautiful wife and pretty children. >> is there anyone at the white house going i told you so? >> i think there's a lot of people among them samantha power. a lot of people are saying we should have done something then. >> this is the president who had many of his principals come to him saying arming and overthrowing but he didn't listen to them. >> much more with you nick and also our military analyst. i want to get to dana bash as fate would have it. always with new information as i mentioned before. wh

syrian president bashar al assad remained defiant denying his forces used chemical weapons. while white house officials hit hard with questions about another iraq insisted they have an air tight case over last week's mass chemical attack. >> these international norms are important. and it is not appropriate for totalitarian dictators to flout them with impugnity. >> reporter: a key republican is backing the president up on the intelligence but charges the consultation has been more like checking a box. >> i think the facts will be on the president's side but he needs buy in from congress. >> we send a shot across the bow saying stop doing this, that can have a positive impact over the long term. >> reporter: retired major general says it is not just a shot across the bow and warned of a wider conflict if assad responds by striking israel. >> it is an act of war. tell me pathways to war sometimes turn into highways to hell. >> reporter: as a candidate in 2008 then senator obama warned against symbolic threats against syria and iran. in an interview on december 1 took a poke a

dificultan la decisiÓn de la casa blanca, sobre cuando a lanzar un ataque contra el gobierno de bashar al-assada policÍa ademÁs tomando las calles de la capital mexicana, cientos de maestros se resisten que se evalÚe su capacidad docente. y los sobornos, que spaourbmente habrÍan aceptado futbolistas salvadoreÑos tiene a muchos en la mira de las autoridades. >>> las violentas manifestaciones, dejaron de saldo de decenas de personas heridas y un nÚmero no determinados de detenidos. en enfrentamiento con la fuerza policial participaron estudiantes, sindicalistas y trabajadores de la salud que se encuentran en huelga. >>> vamos a mÉxico, y cambiamos de tema, el popular cantante, vicente fernÁndez, se encuentra hospitalizado por una trombosis pulmonar lo informÓ su hijo, vi zebts fernÁndez junior, luego de 2 dÍas que se escucharon rumores sobre el estado de salud del popular cantante. don chente ingresÓ a un hospital de la ciudad de guadalajara, desde el martes. y de acuerdo a informes mÉdicos estÁ respondiendo al tratamiento y podrÍa ser dado de alta, a principio de la prÓxima semana. he librado pe

the syrian regime of president bashar al-assad using some sort of additional chemical weapons, burns, maybe napom and the u.s. continues to say the president and secretary of state, if they don't get the message, these kinds of attacks will simply continue. >> i agree that it may well be the regime has used it and may also be the rebels used it. i think the world is the right one to accuse the -- those who have used the weapons, and the sense of it, i think, has to do with the credibility of the president. that's the root of the problem. he did say if they used chemical weapons, it will change my calculations. all right. but i think when they are planning or gearing towards an attack, it has much to do with the credibility but perhaps the credibility to attack iran, if iran does not heed the request to stop developing a new clear weapon. >> i think there is no doubt that the president of the united states and the secretary of state, they are very concerned about u.s. credibility, not only as you point out with the syrian government, but also with the iranians because if the u.s. were

most times, they just revel in their disruption, while singing the praises of bashar al-assad. >> and. we'll have more breaking news and of course as always we're on line at abcnews.com.

butt the trap the president set almost for is one, bashar al assad has to go and, two, there's a red with chemical weapons. that politically meant a commitment that he painted himself into a corn corn and now we find out if he doesn't respond, assad has not gone, he still remains, he's killed over 100,000 of his people and he's used chemical weapons, it would appear, in a fairly large quantity most recently. so now the president finds himself in this position. it's not so much the difference between him and george bush that's led to this, it's the, if you like, impoliticimpolitic us language. >> critics are saying one of the problems the obama administration is using this week is they're using a whole lot of language and talking too much. admiral william fallon says i have no earthly idea why they're talking so much. he's talking about the white house now. it's not leaking out, it's coming out a hose. they've been talking for four days about an air strike. >> we also live in an open society and the british what v to go to parliament to actually vote on military action. we in the unit

gain access to the site close to damascus of the suspected chemical attack after opponents of bashar al-assad claimed the syrian government forces used chemical weapons on wednesday in a tax said to have left hundreds dead, but the bashar al-assad regime said it was the rebels who employed chemical weapons. the one thing that is clear is that theaters that have come in -- is fears that chemical weapons have been deployed to prompt the united states to move forces near the region. >> what really happened? leaders want to know what took place and what action the world community should take. speaking to cnn, u.s. president barack obama called the accusations of a chemical weapons attack a major event of grave concern and government forces are considering all options including a military response. and its very troubling, starts getting to some core national interests the united states has, both in terms of us making sure weapons of mass instruction are not delivering, as well as needing to protect our allies in the region. stressedent obama also the need for international cooperation. he also sai

it is about stopping bashar al- assad from doing any chemical weapons attacks again. he said if the human is prevented from doing anything, if it is blocked, as we know it is and has been by russia and china, then he says a coalition will have to form and he has called for the widest possible coalition. once a coalition supported by europe and backed up i arab states francois hollande said he will not be making a decision until he has all the elements to justify it. he ruled out any kind of attack until you win inspectors have left serious so that is at least until tomorrow. he said he will hold in debt discussions with barack obama until friday -- he said he will hold in-depth discussions with barack obama. still in the game. no confirmation, no details on any military action yet. >> you mentioned searching for an international coalition certainly, for the united dates. where does this decision by the u.k. and germany and, of course, france, which says it is definitely still in the game leave america on what they can do next? >> a very situation -- a very sticky situ

official who has seen the intel report says that syrian president bashar al assad was in fact behind that attack on the civilians. we've got this rapidly developing story covered on all angles. we're going to start at the white house with jim acosta. the president has been busy with the national security council. what do we know from these meetings? >> we know that the president is meeting with the national security council here at the white house and arriving at the white house earlier this morning and then as you mentioned, ashleigh, ke arry will be makin that announcement. he's expected to talk about the intelligence report, that unclassified intelligence report that we're expecting to be released from the white house earlier today. that intelligence report, as you mentioned, ashleigh, is expected to include some sort of information pinpointing blame and responsibility for last week's chemical attack on the assad regime. senior officials in the assad regime. the white house is beginning to make their statements but john kerry at 12:30, that's a big sign as to where events may be h

the syrian president, bashar al- assad, makes a rare public appearance, proclaiming victory. welcome. italy's five highest -- italy's highest court has upheld silvio berlusconi's conviction for tax fraud. the former prime minister is unlikely to spend any time behind bars. kathleen clifford has more. >> his voice shaking, berlusconi described himself in a video statement as a victim of an incredible series of accusations and trials that had nothing to do with reality. on thursday, the country's top court upheld the former prime minister's conviction in a tax fraud case that first went to trial in 2006. after a three-day hearing, the ruling confirmed the verdict from a lower court. the sentencing is automatically reduced to one year under amnesty. a five-year ban on public office am a handed down as part of the original sentence, was upheld. thursday's outcome could throw italy's already fragile coalition into turmoil and potentially affect the eurozone. the former prime minister is no stranger to scandal. some 30 court cases have been brought against him, ranging from corrupt

coast entirely. >> the people are predominately À la white, a branch of shiite islam to which bashar al-assadbelongs. but sunni muslims saying there that they may attack them in any ensuing violence. once again, the sectarian makeup has eight potential to spill into bloodshed. access to the coast is essential to both sides as land route are controlled by different factions. a failed attempt to gain control of the city to lace in august of 2011 and killed 25 people. primeomberg -- libby' minister has resigned over a lack of security in the country and what he calls a failure of government policies. even enoughas not power to carry out his duties in what he called a dysfunctional government. there has been a number of arrests and high-profile assassinations, including that of a political activist. than 1000 people have been rallying in the italian capital in a show of support for silvio berlusconi. his political party, the people's freedom artie calls for supporters to gather outside his residence in rome. the rally was called after the jail sentence was upheld by italy's highest court. though

this is the same president who said that bashar al-assad had to go. he also said there would be a red line if they used chemical weapons. maybe that red line was written in disappearing ink. as good as our word. is there any good options? no. >> if president, what would you do? clock's -- >> six runways that bashar al-assad uses, i would event him from a that prevent him from using his power. i would probably get a safe zone so that they can operate out of. you can do that in one day and not put a single american in any danger because you can do it with standoff -- host: "the wall street journal , sayingok this morning -- beverly joins us next from north carolina. caller: good morning. i was not for what the president wanted to do until yesterday when i heard -- when i listened to him and he pinpointed everything. that is a whole lot more than bush did when we went into iraq. i am certainly for it now. the congress is too chicken to come back and give a vote. they do not want anyone to know what they want to do. for for it and i am even droning assad.

this is bashar al-assad's third appearance this week. the festivities were disrupted on the other side of damascus where a car bomb in this district killed at least five people. watchnwhile, human rights says lebanon has been blocking entry for palestinians trying to enter the country from syria. the district was torn apart by the fighting there. human rights watch's a jerry simpson says lebanon is not living up to its obligations under international law. reason for know the this change in policy which took effect august 6. we spoke to deed the palestinians amongst 200 who the prevented on august 6 by lebanese border guards from entering lebanon. this is the first time this has happened, to our awareness, on the lebanese-cerium border. we have not been able to get confirmation from the lebanese authorities. it is clear, as we said in our press release today, that stopping people who want to claim asylum to stop the border to find time. refuge is unlawful and violates international law. we have been documenting border closures like this o

obviously, israel would be a main target for president bashar al assad if he decided to retaliate. already promised that tel aviv and israel will burn if there is a strike on syria and, obviously, syria has chemical weapons, so gas masks are in high demand. the other thing we're seeing is the israelis are quietly moving around their defensive weapons systems including the iron dome missile defense system, the patriot misis sill defense system and putting their reserve troops on standby, ready to be called up in the event they're needed. leaders say we don't think this is going to happen, but we are prepared if it does. alisyn: makes sense. thanks so much for the update. jon? jon: let's go a bit more in depth. should the u.s. take action against syria or not? some foreign policy experts argue we should just stay out of that fight because the civil war amounts to a battle between president assad and al-qaeda. enemy against enemy. peter brooks, senior fellow for national security affairs at the heritage foundation and a former cia officer, joins us now. do you see it that way? is it a

anything that degrades bashar al assad's commands and control does help the rebels. >> it does. it levels the playing peeld somewhat. that, of course was our objective in june when we announced military support for the rebels. when assad crossed that red line in june, when the evidence was clear and now it's undoubtedly clear as jay carney and secretary kerry pointed out, our objective is to help -- continue to help the rebels and level the playing field. >> jeremy, we were told on february 5th, 2003, that we were absolutely sure of the intelligence. it had been vetted, it had been cleaned up. colin powell had gone in and pushed back against dick cheney and others who were trying to influence the cia, had spent the weekend at langley. we all went to the u.n. security council. i was there, i reported that night. we were all wrong. the secretary, the former secretary of state has admitted that he was wrong. he says he was misled. how do you know that this is not another part of intelligence not wittingly being doctored but not well vetted or understood? >> i think the key differenc

serious -- syria says any attack would be a violation of international law. >> bashar al-assad's government strongly denies any charge that it used chemical weapons. the foreign minister says no government in the world would attack its own people. >> i challenge those who blame our military to produce the evidence. >> the government in damascus says if the west responds with military action, it will defend itself with all means available. the u.s. defense department says it is ready to launch strikes if ordered to. for american warships are on alert in the mediterranean, and defense secretary chuck hagel said tuesday he has consulted with his counterparts in britain and france. french president franÇois hollande says the civil war in syria threatens world peace and that he is convinced the civil war in damascus is behind the alleged attack. >> i'm saying this very plainly -- the chemical weapon massacre in damascus demands a response. france is ready to punish those who made the infamous decision to kill innocent people. >> britain remains steadfastly on the side of the u.s. and is also pre

jones is the agent's first permanent director in seven years. >>> syrian president bashar al assad has opened an instagram account and the u.s. state department is not happy about it. the photos show al assad working at his desk, meeting with women and children and looking like an all around good guy, so some say. a spokesperson for the state department called the account a despicable pr stunt. >>> o.j. simpson was granted parole. the charges from his 2008 kidnapping and armed robbery convictions but simpson says -- rather, but simpson will stay in prison for as long as four more years on other charges. a porole hearing on those will not come until next spring. >>> and rhode island and minnesota are the latest states to legalize same-sex marriage. at midnight, couples rushed government offices to obtain marriage licenses. >>> stocks close out july on a mixed note after the fed offered no clues on when it may start cutting back its stimulus programs. investors also reacting to data showing a surprise uptick in china's manufacturing sector last month. but good news today on unemployment

earlier reports from the rebels said their fire had hit bashar al-assad's motorcade as he was inhis way to a mosque damascus. syrian state tv was quick to broadcast images of the -- of was shot -- of assad at the mosque. they did say mortar shells did hit an area of damascus near to where bashar al-assad was attending prayers. for more on the situation, let's bring in our serious specialist. how -- a syria specialist. how unusual is it for the government to come out and comment on these reports that the rebels fired on the president? >> it is unusual. alas -- last week, a new front was opened. plus, the progress of the opposition in aleppo and around damascus itself pushed probably the television to deny this wast and to show that assad praying normally in a mosque. it was serene. that they show the picture was, by itself, an important fact. >> what if the report is confirmed that this was a direct attack on assad? it would be the first time that had happened. how damaging would that be for the regime? >> we know there have been some explosions in an area that probably the free syrian a