In light of new reports that the Syrian government used nerve gas against its own citizens, killing at least 213 and as many as 1,300, President Obama is  considering military options to respond to an action he previously warned the Assad government was crossing a 'red line'. U.S. naval forces are moving closer as the president emphasized that a quick intervention in the Syrian civil war was problematic, given the international considerations that should precede a military strike. The White House said the president would meet Saturday with his national security team to consider possible next steps by the United States.
@highlight
Activists report that a nerve gas attack near Damascus Wednesday killed as many as 1,300
@highlight
President Obama is said to be weighing his military options after he warned President Bashar Assad that chemical weapons use would be crossing a 'red line'
@highlight
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the nerve gas attack needs to be verified but that it 'appears to be what happened'
@highlight
UN representative Angela Kane arrived in Syria today to ask President Assad to let investigators into the country to look into the claim
@highlight
Military officials told the Associated Press that  four battleships have been moved within the striking zone of Syria and could be used for a Tomahawk missile attack
For a year now, @placeholder has threatened to punish Assad's regime if it resorted to its chemical weapons arsenal, among the world's vastest, saying use or even deployment of such weapons of mass destruction constituted a 'red line' for him.
In this instance, a U.N. chemical weapons team is already on the ground in @placeholder.