Syria News: Obama To Give Rare Oval Office Address At 9 PM

President Obama will give a rare address from the Oval Office around 9 p.m. ET Tuesday on the way forward in Syria, a confusing situation wherein the administration is currently considering both a military and diplomatic response to the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

The Obama administration has urged a military strike in response to a chemical weapons attack believed to have been carried out by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Aug. 21, but talk of a diplomatic resolution has gained steam Tuesday as well and the administration is seriously considering the viability of going through the United Nations to resolve the issue, according to the New York Times.

President Obama met with both Democratic and Republican senators in Washington Tuesday as part of a big push for supporting intervention. Thus far, Congress has been wary of approving a strike against Assad.

The Obama administration has made a forceful case for a military strike against the Assad regime in recent weeks, asking Congress to approve the attack in response to Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians. But an alternative to military action arose earlier this week when Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would support the international community taking control of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile. On Tuesday, that plan gained steam when Syria expressed a willingness to comply and politicians in Washington embraced the idea of a diplomatic solution.