09:17
Tieng Anh Vui
President Barack Obama has said any US military strike on Syria would be "limited and proportional" and that he was confident Congress would back him.
Mr Obama was meeting key committee leaders to press for a military response to what the US believes was a chemical weapons attack by Syria.
He said a strike would degrade President Bashar al-Assad's capabilities and boost the opposition.
The UN earlier confirmed that more than two million Syrians were now refugees.
Also on Tuesday, Israel carried out a joint missile test with the US in the Mediterranean, amid heightened tension over the possibility of Western military strikes on Syria.
More than 100,000 people are thought to have died since the uprising against President Assad began in March 2011.
'Broader strategy'
President Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden met House Speaker John Boehner, House Democratic Leaders Nancy Pelosi and the chairmen and ranking members from the national security committees in Washington on Tuesday.
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It would be ironic if Mr Obama's decision to get congressional backing forced him further down the road to war than he thought was wise last week”
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Mr Obama said that President Assad had to be held accountable for the chemical attack and that he was confident Congress would back military action.
He said he was proposing military action that would degrade President Assad's capacity to use chemical weapons "now and in the future".
"What we are envisioning is something limited. It is something proportional. It will degrade Assad's capabilities," said the president.
"At the same time we have a broader strategy that will allow us to upgrade the capabilities of the opposition."
Secretary of State John Kerry, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and the top US military officer, Gen Martin Dempsey, are to appear later on Tuesday before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
There will also be a classified briefing for all members of Congress.
A vote in Congress is expected next week.
The US has put the death toll from the attack on the outskirts of Damascus on 21 August at 1,429, including 426 children, though other countries and organisations have given lower figures.
The Syrian government denies any involvement.
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