U.S. preparing for possible missile attack on Syria, seeks UN nod

The United States is reportedly planning to launch a cruise missile attack on Syria, following an alleged chemical weapons attack in capital Damascus that left hundreds dead on Wednesday.

CBS News has learnt that the Pentagon is making the initial preparations for such an attack, but added that it won't happen until President Barack Obama gives a green signal to it.

The U.S. government had warned Syria months ago that using chemical weapons could provoke a reverse response.

The attack on the Damascus suburbs was more likely to be a poison gas attack, the officials said.

The commander of the U.S. forces in the Mediterranean has ordered naval warships to move closer to Syria to be ready for a possible cruise missile strike, the report added.

The U.S. forces are expected to target command bunkers and launchers that were used to fire the chemical weapons into suburbs on the outskirts of Damascus, the officials said.

According to the report, Obama has not yet made a decision for military intervention to topple the Bashir Al-Assad Government, and is said to be awaiting clear evidence from U.N. investigators before acting on a retaliatory decision.

U.S. intelligence has given circumstantial evidence that they had detected activity at known Syrian chemical weapons sites few days before the attack.