Story highlights At least 64 are killed in Syria on Friday, an opposition group reports

Putin: Obama "doesn't agree with me, I don't agree with him. But we listened to each other"

Obama says he and Putin had "candid, constructive" talks on the Syria crisis

State Department orders nonessential personnel to leave U.S. Embassy in Beirut

U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, held what each man described Friday as a "constructive" talk about Syria, though there's no indication it produced any breakthrough consensus.

What began as small talk after Putin approached Obama led to the two pulling up chairs in the corner of the room and talking almost entirely about Syria for 20 to 30 minutes, as other leaders watched, a senior Obama administration official said.

Afterward, Obama described the exchange on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Russia as "candid" -- but acknowledged that Putin was unlikely to support his call for military action against Syria.

Putin gave reporters a similar account, adding, "He doesn't agree with me, I don't agree with him, but we listened to each other."

Both leaders said they could work together to seek a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

The two men hold opposing views over whether military action should be taken against the Syrian government over its alleged use of chemical weapons against its own people.

Obama is seeking to rally domestic and international support for a military strike, while Putin -- an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- has challenged the assertion that regime forces were behind the alleged chemical weapons attacks.

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Putin repeated the Syrian government's accusation that "militants" used chemical weapons in a bid to get aid and support from "those countries who support them."

He told reporters that Moscow will continue to provide Syria with arms and humanitarian aid.

He and Obama also talked about ways to solve the Syrian crisis peacefully, he said.

A statement issued Friday by a bare majority of the G20 -- 11 of its 20 members -- said that "the evidence clearly points to the Syrian government being responsible for the attack, which is part of a pattern of chemical weapons use by the regime."

"Those who perpetrated these crimes must be held accountable," it said.

Obama said he believed most of the leaders at the G20 meeting were "comfortable with (the) conclusion that the Assad government was responsible" for using chemical weapons in an attack last month on a Damascus suburb.

But he said divisions arose over whether military action against Syria must be authorized by the U.N. Security Council, where Russia has blocked action.

Citing Security Council "paralysis" on the issue, Obama said countries should be willing to act without the council's authorization.

Obama: 'World cannot stand idly by'

"If we are serious about upholding a ban on chemical weapons use, then an international response is required, and that will not come through Security Council action."

But he said he was encouraged by the discussions in St. Petersburg. "There's a growing recognition that the world cannot stand idly by," Obama said.

The U.S. president showed emotion as he talked of the gassing on August 21 of what his country estimates was more than 1,400 people in Syria, 400 of them children.

"This is not something we fabricated, this is not something we are using as an excuse for military action. ... I was elected to end wars, not start them," he said. "But we have to make hard choices when we stand up for things we care about."

Putin said the leaders in St. Petersburg were split nearly "50-50" over whether to intervene militarily.

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Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees board a boat bound for Turkey at a port in Kyrenia, Cyprus, on Sunday, November 23. Some 220 Syrian migrants crammed onto a fishing boat were rescued by a cruise ship off Cyprus' northern coast after their vessel hit rough seas in the Mediterranean Sea, authorities said. Hide Caption 1 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian Kurdish child looks through the ventilation hole of a tent at a camp in Suruc, Turkey, on Wednesday, November 19. Tens of thousands of people fled the Syrian city of Kobani, alson known as Ayn al-Arab, because of the militant group ISIS. Hide Caption 2 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A fly lands on the toe of 8-year-old Mahmut Munir, a Syrian Kurdish refugee boy from Kobani, inside a tent in Suruc on November 19. The boy was reportedly injured in a mortar attack by ISIS militants. Hide Caption 3 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Kurdish children from the Kobani area speak after receiving food rations at a camp in Suruc on Tuesday, November 18. Hide Caption 4 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian Kurdish refugee pins a picture of her son on a wall in Suruc on Tuesday, November 11. She says he died during a battle in Kobani. Hide Caption 5 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian Kurdish refugees collect clothes and shoes donated by civilians at a camp in Suruc on November 11. Hide Caption 6 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian Kurdish refugees sit outside tents at a camp in Suruc on November 11. Hide Caption 7 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian refugee wraps herself in a blanket as she stands near tents near Sanliurfa, Turkey, on Thursday, October 2. Hide Caption 8 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian Kurds wait behind border fences to cross into Suruc on Sunday, September 28. Hide Caption 9 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Kurdish woman crosses into Suruc on Tuesday, September 23. Hide Caption 10 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian Kurdish boy is vaccinated as he arrives in Suruc on September 23. The United Nations estimates that more than 2.5 million Syrians have fled their country since an uprising in March 2011 spiraled into civil war. Hide Caption 11 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A woman carries belongings across the border between Turkey and Syria on September 23. Hide Caption 12 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian refugee watches the sunrise Wednesday, April 2, after sleeping outside the Center for Temporary Stay of Immigrants in Melilla, Spain. Hide Caption 13 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Mustafa Ahmad, who lost his leg in 2011 when government warplanes bombed his neighborhood in Syria, is fitted with a prosthetic leg at a refugee camp Thursday, March 27, in Jib Janine, Lebanon. Hide Caption 14 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East delivered humanitarian aid packages to the Yarmouk refugee camps in Syria on Friday, March 21. Hide Caption 15 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A boy uses a tool to dig a hole at the Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan on Saturday, March 15. Hide Caption 16 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees enter Turkey via the Cilvegozu border gate in Hatay, Turkey, on Saturday, January 18. Hide Caption 17 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian children cross the border at the Cilvegozu gate on January 18. Hide Caption 18 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian children walk on the street after attending school January 18 in Hatay. Hide Caption 19 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A child looks through a window while food and aid is distributed at a refugee center in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Tuesday, December 17. Hide Caption 20 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A man feeds his child in the Arsal refugee camp in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Sunday, December 15. Hide Caption 21 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian children play with snow in the Arsal refugee camp on December 15. Hide Caption 22 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Snow covers the ground at a refugee camp in Arsal on Friday, December 13. Hide Caption 23 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Young Syrian refugees build a snowman following a storm in the Lebanese village of Baaloul on Thursday, December 12. Hide Caption 24 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugee widow Ikhlas Halawani feeds her daughter breakfast during a snowstorm in Amman, Jordan, on December 12. Hide Caption 25 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – After crossing into Jordan's Ruweished camp on Thursday, December 5, a Syrian boy searches for his mother while other refugees board a Jordanian military vehicle. Hide Caption 26 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Newly arrived Syrian refugees carry their belongings and children after crossing into Jordan's Ruweished camp on December 5. Hide Caption 27 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees wait in line to receive winter aid kits at the Zaatari refugee camp near Mafraq, Jordan, on Tuesday, December 3. Hide Caption 28 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Refugees watch a new trailer being placed in the Zaatari camp on December 3. Hide Caption 29 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian child looks out from his tent at a refugee camp in Arsal on Friday, November 29. Hide Caption 30 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A girl crosses a puddle during the first snowfall of the season in a refugee camp in Harmanli, Bulgaria, on Wednesday, November 27. Hide Caption 31 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Young Syrian refugees play at the recently opened Vrazhdebna shelter in Sofia on Friday, November 22. Hide Caption 32 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees warm themselves near open fires at a refugee camp in Harmanli on Thursday, November 21. Hide Caption 33 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees go about their daily lives in an Istanbul park on Sunday, November 3. Hide Caption 34 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian refugee uses a rope to climb a tree at the Vrazhdebna shelter on Tuesday, October 29. Hide Caption 35 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees are turned back after being refused entry into northern Iraq on Wednesday, October 23. Hide Caption 36 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Refugees wait to get medical attention at the Vrazhdebna shelter on Saturday, October 19. The shelter is a former school. Hide Caption 37 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian refugee begs with her children on a street in Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday, October 18. Hide Caption 38 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Kurdish women grieve during a visit to a cemetery in Derik, Syria, on Tuesday, October 15. Hide Caption 39 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Young Syrian refugees from Aleppo sit with their mother on the steps of a Beirut bank in September 2013. Hide Caption 40 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Two Syrian refugees sit on a Beirut street in September 2013. Hide Caption 41 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Young Syrian refugees sit with their father as he prepares coffee to sell on a street in Beirut in September 2013. Hide Caption 42 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian refugee boy practices taekwondo at the Zaatari refugee camp near Mafraq in September 2013. Hide Caption 43 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A young Syrian girl washes a pan at the Atme refugee camp along the Turkish border in September 2013. Hide Caption 44 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugee children watch Korean and Syrian taekwondo instructors during training at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan in September 2013. Hide Caption 45 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian woman carries her baby across the border into Turkey at the Cilvegozu border gate in September 2013. Hide Caption 46 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian girl stands with her mother in a makeshift tent as they wait to enter an official refugee camp at the Oncupinar border gate in Kilis, Turkey, in September 2013. Hide Caption 47 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian girl eats a tomato at a temporary refugee camp in the eastern Lebanese town of al-Faour in September 2013. Hide Caption 48 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian refugee girl drinks water from a hose near a temporary refugee camp in an eastern Lebanese town in September 2013. Hide Caption 49 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – In September 2013, Lower Saxony's Commissioner for Migration and Participation Doris Schroeder-Koempf, along with German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, center, greet the first of many Syrian refugees that have been granted temporary asylum in Germany. Hide Caption 50 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A refugee boy sits on the ground at a temporary refugee camp in the eastern Lebanese town of al-Faour in September 2013. Hide Caption 51 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugee children run near their tents at a temporary refugee camp near the Lebanese border in September 2013. Hide Caption 52 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Mustafa Abu Bekir, who was wounded while fighting with the Free Syrian Army, smiles as he meets relatives after crossing the Cilvegozu gate border in Turkey's Hatay province in September 2013. Hide Caption 53 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian refugee family of 26 people shares one room in the Eminonu district of Istanbul in September 2013. Hide Caption 54 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Two Syrian refugee children sit outside a house in Istanbul in September 2013. Hide Caption 55 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A refugee money-changer exchanges currency at the main market at the Zaatari refugee camp near Mafraq in September 2013. Hide Caption 56 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A woman from an Alawite neighborhood in Syria holds her son in September 2013 at the Pir Sultan Abdal foundation in Istanbul. Hide Caption 57 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian refugee displays second-hand shoes for sale at the main market at the Zaatari refugee camp near Mafraq in September 2013. Hide Caption 58 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Photos: Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees arrive at the Pir Sultan Abdal foundation in Istanbul in September 2013. Hide Caption 59 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugee workers fix cart wheels at their shop at the Zaatari refugee camp in September 2013. Hide Caption 60 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian boy sits beside his family's belongings in September 2013 as they wait for a vehicle to pick them up after entering Turkey. Hide Caption 61 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees who failed to find shelters at a refugee camp eat and rest by the side of a road a few feet away in September 2013. Hide Caption 62 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees arrive at the Turkish border gate of Cilvegozu in September 2013. Hide Caption 63 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Photos: Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees gather in the village of Salkin after crossing the Syrian-Turkish border in September 2013. Hide Caption 64 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A young Syrian refugee boy sells canned tuna and other food items in the Zaatari refugee camp in September 2013. Hide Caption 65 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Children run past tents at a Syrian refugee camp in Yayladagi, Turkey, in September 2013. Hide Caption 66 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A child pulls a suitcase as Syrian refugees arrive at the Cilvegozu crossing gate in Turkey in August 2013. Hide Caption 67 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A family arrives at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan in August 2013. Hide Caption 68 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian girl stands behind a fence at Bulgaria's shelter near Lyubimets in August 2013. Hide Caption 69 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A wounded Syrian child is treated in August 2013 at the Israeli Ziv hospital, which is in the northern town of Safed, Israel. Hide Caption 70 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian Kurdish man carries a mattress at sunset at the Quru Gusik refugee camp in Iraq in August 2013. Hide Caption 71 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees listen to safety instructions at the Quru Gusik refugee camp in August 2013. Hide Caption 72 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees walk at the Zaatari refugee camp in July 2013. Hide Caption 73 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – The expanse of the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, as seen from an aerial view in July 2013. The camp was opened on July 28, 2012. Hide Caption 74 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugee children walk in the Bab al-Salam refugee camp in Syria's northern city of Azaz in July 2013. Hide Caption 75 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A boy walks with jugs of water in a Beirut neighborhood with a high concentration of Syrian refugees. Hide Caption 76 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian refugees stand with their belongings on June 20, World Refugee Day, at Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. Hide Caption 77 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian woman and child look out of a refugee camp window in Alman, Lebanon, in June 2013. Hide Caption 78 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A child whose family fled violence in Syria stands at the Arsal refugee camp in Lebanon in June 2013. Hide Caption 79 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A woman uses a fence to dry laundry at the Domiz refugee camp near Kohuk, Iraq, in May 2013. Hide Caption 80 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A boy carries a jug for water at the Maliber al-Salam refugee camp in April 2013. The camp, near the Turkish border, houses internally displaced Syrian families. Hide Caption 81 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A makeshift refugee camp is seen near Syria's border with Turkey in April 2013. Hide Caption 82 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Row after row of temporary shelters fill the Maiber al-Salam refugee camp in Syria in April 2013. Hide Caption 83 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria arrive at the Jordanian border in February 2013. Hide Caption 84 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian girl stands at the entrance of a makeshift home near ruins in Serjilla, Syria, in February 2013. Hide Caption 85 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – The Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, near the Syrian border. Hide Caption 86 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A refugee collects apples and some bread at the Azaz refugee camp along the Syrian-Turkish border. Hide Caption 87 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A refugee visits a clinic with his child at the Azaz refugee camp in February 2013. Hide Caption 88 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A child gets a haircut at a makeshift barbershop at the Azaz refugee camp in February 2013. Hide Caption 89 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian girl looks through the window of a bus where she has lived with her family for the past eight months in February 2013. Hide Caption 90 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Clothes dry at the Qah refugee camp near the Turkish border in January 2013. Hide Caption 91 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A man shows off his pet birds as new Syrian refugees arrive at the Zaatari refugee camp in January 2013. Hide Caption 92 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrian children gather around women washing in the Zaatari refugee camp in January 2013. Hide Caption 93 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – Syrians put up tents at the Zaatari refugee camp in January 2013. Hide Caption 94 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees supplied tents in Al-Marj, Lebanon. Hide Caption 95 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian boy attends school in the Turkish town of Kilis in December 2012. Hide Caption 96 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – A Syrian jumps across the border into Turkey's Sanliurfa province in November 2012. Hide Caption 97 of 98 Photos: Photos: Syria's refugee crisis Syria's refugee crisis – In November 2012, a Syrian refugee waits at a hairdresser's shop inside the Oncupinar camp in Kilis, Turkey. Hide Caption 98 of 98

He said that action against Syria without U.N. Security Council approval would be illegal. Russia and China, which has also opposed military intervention in Syria, have veto power.

But that need not rule out action, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters Friday. "We cannot allow Syria to act with impunity because one or two countries refuse to hold them accountable in the Security Council," she said.

The Syrian government has said that opposition fighters launched the attack on the outskirts of Damascus.

The United Nations has said more than 100,000 people -- including many civilians -- have been killed since a popular uprising spiraled into a civil war in 2011. That toll rose Friday, with the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria reporting at least 64 people killed nationwide.

Tensions affect some U.S. staff in Lebanon, Turkey

As tensions ratchet up over Syria, the U.S. State Department on Friday ordered the withdrawal of nonessential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, and authorized nonemergency staff to leave a consulate in Adana in southern Turkey.

"Given the current tensions in the region, as well as potential threats to U.S. government facilities and personnel, we are taking these steps out of an abundance of caution to protect our employees and their families, and local employees and visitors to our facilities," a statement said.

Many observers fear that the civil war in Syria, which has become increasingly sectarian in nature, could spill into neighboring countries.

The State Department also issued revised travel warnings Friday for Lebanon and Turkey, both of which share a border with Syria.

It urges U.S. citizens to "avoid all travel to Lebanon because of current safety and security concerns" and to be "alert to the potential for violence" if traveling to or living in Turkey.

Many in Lebanon worry that the involvement of the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah in Syria's civil war could destabilize their own nation.

Lebanon has been shaken by a series of deadly bombings in recent weeks, including a blast in a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut.

Al-Assad warned this week that a regional war could break out if Syria is attacked.

"The Middle East is a powder keg, and the fire is approaching today," he told French newspaper Le Figaro in an interview Monday.

Obama pushes for congressional action

Obama is seeking congressional approval for possible U.S. military strikes against Syria, although no vote is expected until after lawmakers reconvene from recess on Monday.

The president said Friday that he had expected skepticism from the public and from lawmakers.

He knew it was going to be "a heavy lift" when he announced Saturday that he was putting the proposal before Congress, he said, with some lawmakers foreseeing a "slippery slope" toward a prolonged U.S. involvement in Syria.

"For the American people who have been through over a decade of war now, with enormous sacrifice of blood and treasure, any hints of further military entanglement in the Middle East are going to be viewed with suspicion," Obama said. "That suspicion will probably be even stronger in my party than in the Republican Party."

The Syrian parliament has urged the U.S. House not to support the proposed U.S. military action, the country's state news agency, SANA, said Friday.

In a letter addressed to U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, his Syrian counterpart, Jihad al-Laham, called upon the House to communicate through civilized dialogue, not blood and fire, the news agency said.

He said Islamic extremists have seized and possess chemical weapons, SANA reported.

Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor have both backed Obama, but Boehner has said it is up to the White House to get the 217 votes needed to secure his resolution there.

According to CNN's count, 109 House members plan to vote "no," while 23 -- including a number of high-profile Republicans -- plan to back it. More than 280 representatives remain undecided.

Syria offers rewards

Meanwhile, Syrian authorities are offering rewards, amounting to nearly $4,400, for handing over non-Syrian "terrorists," Syrian state TV said Friday. The Syrian government often refers to rebels as terrorists.

Officials offered nearly $1,800 for reports on the whereabouts of these individuals or help leading to their arrest, the state broadcaster said.

The identity of those providing information would remain confidential, and they would be provided with protection, state TV said.