MATTHEW LEE and JULIE PACE 15 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry says there is "undeniable" evidence of a large-scale chemical weapons attack in Syria, with intelligence strongly pointing to Bashar Assad's government — a claim Assad calls "preposterous."

Kerry said Monday that international standards against chemical weapons "cannot be violated without consequences." His tough language marked the clearest justification yet for U.S. military action in Syria, which, if President Barack Obama decides to approve, most likely would involve sea-launched cruise missile attacks on Syrian military targets.

Speaking to reporters at the State Department, Kerry was harshly critical of chemical warfare.

"By any standard, it is inexcusable and — despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured — it is undeniable," said Kerry, the highest-ranking U.S. official to confirm the attack in the Damascus suburbs that activists say killed hundreds of people.

In an interview published Tuesday on the website of the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, Assad accused the U.S. and other countries of "disdain and blatant disrespect of their own public opinion; there isn't a body in the world, let alone a superpower, that makes an accusation and then goes about collecting evidence to prove its point."

Assad warned that if the U.S. attacks Syria, it will face "what it has been confronted with in every war since Vietnam: failure."

Obama has not decided how to respond to the use of deadly gases, officials said. The White House said last year that type of warfare would cross a "red line." The U.S., along with allies in Europe, appeared to be laying the groundwork for the most aggressive response since Syria's civil war began more than two years ago.

Two administration officials said the U.S. was expected to make public a more formal determination of chemical weapons use on Tuesday, with an announcement of Obama's response likely to follow quickly. The officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the internal deliberations.

The British government said Tuesday its military is drawing up contingency plans for a possible military attack on Syria. Italy, meanwhile, is insisting that any military strike must be authorized by the U.N. Security Council.

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Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the State Department in Washington, Monday, Aug. 26, 2013, a …

The international community appeared to be considering action that would punish Assad for deploying deadly gases, not sweeping measures aimed at ousting the Syrian leader or strengthening rebel forces. The focus of the internal debate underscores the scant international appetite for a large-scale deployment of forces in Syria and the limited number of other options that could significantly change the trajectory of the conflict.

"We continue to believe that there's no military solution here that's good for the Syrian people, and that the best path forward is a political solution," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said. "This is about the violation of an international norm against the use of chemical weapons and how we should respond to that."

The Obama administration was moving ahead even as a United Nations team already on the ground in Syria collected evidence from last week's attack. The U.S. said Syria's delay in giving the inspectors access rendered their investigation meaningless and officials said the administration had its own intelligence confirming chemical weapons use. U.N. officials disagreed that it was too late.

"What is before us today is real and it is compelling," Kerry said. "Our understanding of what has already happened in Syria is grounded in facts."

The U.S. assessment is based in part on the number of reported victims, the symptoms of those injured or killed and witness accounts. Administration officials said the U.S. had additional intelligence confirming chemical weapons use and planned to make it public in the coming days.

Officials stopped short of unequivocally stating that Assad's government was behind the attack. But they said there was "very little doubt" that it originated with the regime, noting that Syria's rebel forces do not appear to have access to the country's chemical weapons stockpile.

Assad has denied launching a chemical attack. The U.N. team came under sniper fire Monday as it traveled to the site of the Aug. 21 attack.

It's unclear whether Obama would seek authority from the U.N. or Congress before using force. The president has spoken frequently about his preference for taking military action only with international backing, but it is likely Russia and China would block U.S. efforts to authorize action through the U.N. Security Council.

More than 100,000 people have died in clashes between forces loyal to Assad and rebels trying to oust him from power over the past two and a half years. While Obama has repeatedly called for Assad to leave power, he has resisted calls for a robust U.S. intervention, and has largely limited American assistance to humanitarian aid. The president said last year that chemical weapons use would cross a "red line" and would likely change his calculus in deciding on a U.S. response.

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Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the State Department in Washington, Monday, Aug. 26, 2013, a …

Last week's attack in the Damascus suburbs is a challenge to Obama's credibility. He took little action after Assad used chemical weapons on a small scale earlier this year and risks signaling to countries like Iran that his administration does not follow through on its warnings.

Syrian activists say the Aug. 21 attack killed hundreds; the group Doctors Without Borders put the death toll at 355 people.

The U.S. Navy last week moved a fourth destroyer into the eastern Mediterranean. Each ship can launch ballistic missiles.

Officials said it was likely the targets of any cruise-missile attacks would be tied to the regime's ability to launch chemical weapons attacks. Possible targets would include weapons arsenals, command and control centers, radar and communications facilities, and other military headquarters. Less likely was a strike on a chemical weapons site because of the risk of releasing toxic gases.

Military experts and U.S. officials said Monday that the precision strikes would probably come during the night and target key military sites.

The president has ruled out putting American troops on the ground in Syria and officials say they are not considering setting up a unilateral no-fly zone.

On Capitol Hill, bipartisan support for a military response appeared to be building, with some key lawmakers calling for targeted strikes. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner said the Ohio Republican had "preliminary communication" with White House officials about the situation in Syria and a potential American response.

It's unlikely that the U.S. would launch a strike against Syria while the United Nations team is still in the country. The administration may also try to time any strike around Obama's travel schedule — he's due to hold meetings in Sweden and Russia next week — in order to avoid having the commander in chief abroad when the U.S. launches military action.

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Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

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This undated photo provided by Monica Croom shows her son, 18-year-old Johnathan Croom. Authorities on Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 were searching for the missing Arizona teenager whose car was found abandoned in southwest Oregon. (AP Photo/Courtesy Monica Croom)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The father of an Arizona teenager whose body was found near his abandoned SUV in the woods of southern Oregon said his son was "a young man who had a broken heart."

The body of Johnathan Croom, 18, was found Monday evening about 1,000 feet from where his vehicle was found abandoned last week, Douglas County sheriff's spokesman Dwes Hutson said in a statement.

Hutson said the Apache Junction, Ariz., youth's death was being investigated as a suicide but he provided no additional information. He didn't return a call for comment.

In a telephone interview from Oregon, David Croom said his son was grieving the end of a recent relationship with "someone back in Phoenix."

"He was a young man who had a broken heart and headed out to try to find himself," the elder Croom said. "We're looking forward to finding out exactly what happened."

He thanked everyone who helped search for his son and added, "Please pray for our family."

The father said he had no specifics on a cause of death.

The teen had talked with his parents about the book "Into the Wild" and told a friend he wanted to run away.

Croom's SUV was found Wednesday in Riddle, a town of 1,200 people just off the state's main north-south thoroughfare, Interstate 5.

His mother, Monica Croom, had said he was traveling alone and on his way back from Seattle, where he visited a friend. The teen was due in Arizona on Aug. 17 to start college in Mesa.

Hutson said earlier that text messages between Croom and a friend indicated Croom wanted to run away.

Hutson said Croom also talked to his parents about Christopher McCandless, whose journey to Alaska was documented in the book "Into the Wild." McCandless gave up his worldly goods to live in the Alaska wilderness, only to die there, perhaps from eating wild potatoes.

"I think we have kind of a combination there," Hutson said earlier Monday. "He talked with his parents about 'Into the Wild,' and in text messages we've looked at, he does specifically talk about running away, kind of just running away from his life."

Earlier this year, a 19-year-old from Oklahoma disappeared after talking to his parents about the same book and setting out to test himself against the Oregon wilderness.

Dustin Self's truck was found in April on Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon. The last search for Self was in the spring, after snow melted, but it yielded no hints to his location.

Missing Arizona teen found dead in Oregon

Authorities discover the body of 18-year-old Johnathan Croom about 1,000 feet from his abandoned SUV.
Told a friend he wanted to run away

North Korea tried to export gas masks to Syria but they were seized in Turkey along with arms and ammunition, a Japanese daily said Tuesday, as the US threatened action over an alleged chemical weapons attack.

A Libyan-registered vessel, identified as Al En Ti Sar, left North Korea for Syria earlier this year with the consignment, the Sankei Shimbun said, quoting unnamed sources from the US military, Japanese and South Korean intelligence.

The US military, which obtained the information, was tracking the ship in coordination with other countries, the daily -- which is known for its North Korea coverage -- said in a detailed report.

The vessel sailed through Dardanelles in Turkey on April 3 and was searched shortly after by Turkish authorities, who had been tipped off by the US.

Turkish officials seized 1,400 rifles and pistols and some 30,000 bullets as well as gas masks apparently for chemical protection, the daily said.

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Graphic on a shipment of gas masks, arms and ammunition bound for Syria from North Korea and seized …

US authorities believe that the ship was intending to unload its cargo in Turkey and send it overland to President Bashar al-Assad's regime, the Sankei said.

Turkey detained the captain of the vessel and later charged him after he admitted his ship was on its way from North Korea and was carrying arms bound for Syria, the paper said.

Syria is the subject of sanctions by the European Union, the US and its allies banning the sale of weapons.

North Korea is barred by United Nations sanctions from trading in weaponry in the wake of nuclear and missile tests. If confirmed, Pyongyang could face additional UN sanctions over the shipment.

North Korea and Syria have reportedly had a military relationship for some years, including during the current civil war in the Middle Eastern country.

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UN inspectors are seen arriving at a hotel in Damascus on August 26, 2013, following their return fr …

There were also widespread reports that North Korea helped Syria build a nuclear plant that was destroyed by Israeli bombing in 2007.

The West has ramped up its rhetoric following accounts of a deadly chemical attack outside Damascus on August 21, which it blames on Assad's regime.

Washington has accused Syria of trying to destroy evidence from the attack last week, which opposition forces say killed 1,300 people, including children.

Independent medical agency Doctors Without Borders has said at least 355 people died from "neurotoxic symptoms."

On Monday a team of UN inspectors sent to Damascus to investigate the claims came under sniper fire.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the use of chemical weapons was "undeniable" and warned that Syria would face a response for its actions.

"Let me be clear. The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity," Kerry said.

The right-of-centre Sankei Shimbun is one of Japan's five nationwide newspapers and has a track record of publishing exclusive articles on North Korea. While the tone is often strident, it is generally thought of as a credible source on the subject.

The US defence chief said Tuesday his country's forces are ready to launch strikes against the Syrian regime over alleged chemical attacks, amid growing Western and Arab calls for action.

Syria vowed defiantly to defend itself against any attack with "surprise" measures, while close allies Russia and Iran warned that any use of force would have dire consequences in the region.

And global stock markets dived and world oil prices hit a six-month high as the drumbeat of war grew louder.

Speaking in Brunei, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the military was prepared to act if President Barack Obama gave the order.

"We are prepared. We have moved assets in place to be able to fulfil and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take," he said.

"We are ready to go, like that."

The Washington Post cited senior US administration officials as saying such action would probably last no more than two days and involve missiles or long-range bombers, striking military targets not directly linked to Syria's chemical weapons arsenal.

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Fighters from the Free Syrian Army's Tahrir al Sham brigade use a shotgun to fire an improvised gren …

In Paris, French President Francois Hollande said his country was "ready to punish" those behind the alleged chemical attacks which the opposition claims killed hundreds in Damascus suburbs last week.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime has vehemently denied it was responsible and has instead accused the rebels of using chemical weapons.

Hollande also said France would increase military support to the opposition Syrian National Coalition and would meet with its head, Ahmad al-Jarba, on Thursday.

Britain, meanwhile, said its armed forces were drawing up contingency plans for action in Syria, and Prime Minister David Cameron recalled parliament from its summer break to debate the crisis.

But Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said Britain was not seeking to topple Assad.

Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said the suspected chemical attack was a "crime against humanity" that "cannot go unpunished."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has provided Syria's regime with diplomatic cover by blocking Security Council action, was unimpressed by what the West has called mounting evidence of an atrocity.

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A U.N. chemical weapons expert gathers evidence at one of the sites of an alleged poison gas attack …

He told Cameron on Monday there was no proof Damascus had used chemical weapons, the British premier's office said.

But White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday there should be "no doubt" the Syrian regime launched last week's devastating chemical weapons attack, believed to have killed hundreds of civilians.

And Carney said Washington would release intelligence details on the attacks, probably this week.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow would not get involved in any military conflict, and it has warned that intervention would have "catastrophic consequences" for the volatile Middle East.

That was echoed by Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehqan, who warned that, "in case of military action against Syria, the region's security and stability will be threatened."

Nevertheless, senior military officers from Western and Muslim countries met in Jordan to discuss the regional impact of the war in Syria, wrapping up a two-day meeting on Tuesday.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said "the situation calls for a firm and serious attitude to put an end to the human tragedy of the Syrian people."

Syrian state news agency: Kerry lying about chemic …Play video."

And permanent representatives of the 22-member Arab League meeting in Cairo said the Assad regime bore the "entire responsibility" for the August 21 attacks.

A National Coalition official said the group expects a Western military intervention within days and has been consulted over targets.

"It's a question of days and not weeks," said Ahmad Ramadan, adding that "there have been meetings between the Coalition, the (rebel) Free Syrian Army and allied countries during which possible targets have been discussed."

They included airports, military bases and arms depots, he said.

During a defiant news conference earlier on Tuesday, Syria Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Damascus would defend itself against any strikes.

"We have two options: either to surrender, or to defend ourselves with the means at our disposal," he said.

"The second choice is the best: we will defend ourselves."

US Military Commanders Await Green Light for Syria …Play video."

Muallem said Syria had capabilities that would "surprise" the world, and warned that any military action against it would serve the interests of Israel and Al-Qaeda.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a fierce retaliation of his country were attacked.

"The State of Israel is prepared for every scenario," he said following consultations on the crisis. "We are not part of the civil war in Syria, but if we detect any attempt to hurt us, we will react, and react fiercely."

The increasing signs of impending military action sparked sharp swings on oil and global stock markets.

Oil prices soared, with Brent crude striking six-month highs on Middle East supply concerns.

Most European equities fell sharply as investors ignored solid data from Germany and eyed possible military intervention in Syria, sending the price of safe-haven gold soaring to $1,419.25 an ounce $1,377.50.

While London's FTSE 100 index slid 0.79 percent to 6.440.97 points, other markets were down over two percent. New York's Dow Jones Industrial Average opened 0.73 percent lower.

Hagel: U.S. 'ready to go' if attack order comes

The defense secretary says assets are in place if President Obama decides action in Syria is necessary.
Evidence of chemical weapons