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US Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, speaks during an interview with Agence France-Presse on June 27, 2013/AFP

World

Obama gets key Republican backing on Syria

Assad, in a rare interview with Western media released on Monday, warned military strikes risked setting off a wider conflict in the Middle East.

“Everyone will lose control of the situation once the powder keg explodes. Chaos and extremism will spread. There is a risk of regional war,” Assad said.

More than 100,000 people have died since the rebellion to oust long time leader Assad erupted in March 2011.

The UN refugee agency Tuesday revealed that some two million Syrians have now fled the country, in a tide of humanity which is straining resources in neighboring countries. Millions more have also been displaced inside the country.

Antonio Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, described the figures as a “disgraceful humanitarian calamity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history.”

The two million milestone which represents a nine fold increase in 12 months was not just an appalling statistic, but represents “two million individual stories. Two million people, many have lost their houses, members of their families, their possessions,” Guterres said.

On average, some 5,000 Syrians flee their country every day, the UNHCR says.

As part of the White House offensive to win over skeptical lawmakers, the US secretaries of state and defense were to appear before a Senate panel later Tuesday.

Amid the mounting anxiety, Israel and the United States launched a missile over the Mediterranean as part of a joint exercise.

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However, the Pentagon said the test was not linked to any possible US military action against Syria.

“The test was long planned to help evaluate the Arrow Ballistic Missile Defense system’s ability to detect, track, and communicate information about a simulated threat to Israel,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said.

France, which backs Obama in his determination to launch a military intervention in Syria, Tuesday called on Europe to unite in its response to the crisis.

“When a chemical massacre takes place, when the world is informed of it, when the evidence is delivered, when the guilty parties are known, then there must be an answer,” French President Francois Hollande said.

“This answer is expected from the international community,” he said.

Paris Monday released an intelligence report which said Assad’s forces had carried out a “massive” chemical attack last month.

Based on military and foreign intelligence services, the report said the regime launched an attack “combining conventional means with the massive use of chemical agents” on rebel held areas near Damascus on August 21.

France has emerged as the main US ally in the Syria crisis after the British parliament last week rejected involvement in any military action.

British Prime Minister David Cameron is set to push Russia and others to back a diplomatic solution to the Syria conflict at the G20 in Saint Petersburg this week.

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