US President Barack Obama huddled with hawkish lawmakers to round up congressional support for a military strike on Syria, as France stated its case for going along if it comes to be.

A nine-page report by France’s military and foreign intelligence services justifying an attack on Syria was presented to Parliament.  It said the chemical attack near Damascus last month involved the “massive use of chemical agents” and “could not have been ordered and carried out by anyone but the Syrian government”.

It says 281 people died in the chemical attack in the eastern suburbs of Damascus, contradicting the American account of more than 1,400 deaths, but also noted that it wasn’t the first time the Bashar al-Assad regime used chemical weapons.

Meanwhile in Washington, President Obama held talks with Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, two lawmakers who’ve never met a war they didn’t like.  The pair warned that if their fellow conservative lawmakers don’t go along with plans to attack Syria, it would undermine America’s credibility in the region.