WASHINGTON (AP) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says several key allies in the region strongly support U.S. military action in Syria.
Hagel told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday that France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and others in the region are key partners in any U.S. action.
He said U.S. forces were ready to act whenever President Barack Obama gives the order.
Obama's foreign policy team was laying out a vigorous defense this week for a limited, tailored military strike aimed at degrading Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime's ability to carry out chemical weapons' attacks.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the standing of the U.S. among allies in the region would be eroded if America shows it is unwilling to act.
