 WASHINGTON—The Obama administration presented its case for possible military action against Syria to congressional leaders, including evidence from an intercepted phone call involving a high-level Syrian official, which a lawmaker said officials offered as proof of a government chemical-weapons attack. Text Size - 
 
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 Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said the White House should seek international support for “limited, targeted strikes” against Syria, once again urging the administration to “increase the military pressure on the [Bashar] Assad regime by providing lethal aid to vetted elements of the Syrian opposition.” 
 
 (PHOTOS: Scenes from Syria) 
 
 Meanwhile, the committee’s ranking Republican, Sen. Jim Inhofe, was undeterred in his opposition to military operations in Syria until there’s a clear plan to pay for them. Several officials were on the call representing the administration, including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Secretary of State John Kerry, White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Sandy Winnefeld. Rep. Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.) said officials told the lawmakers in the call that they had intercepted a phone call from a high-level Syrian official discussing the attacks, which was proof the Assad regime was responsible for the chemical-weapons attack. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said in a statement that “the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime requires a decisive response.” 
 
 “This is not a moment to look the other way, to blind ourselves to the horrifying images in Syria, and to send the dangerous message to the global community that we would allow the use of a chemical weapons attack to take place with impunity,” Menendez said. And Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he agrees “with the president that the use of these weapons not only violates international norms, but is a national security threat to the United States.” 
 
 “The president’s national security team said that he is still weighing his options and will continue to consult with Congress,” Engel said.
– The specifics of President Obama's plans for Syria don't seem much clearer after a conference call with Congressional leaders. The call didn't include information on when a strike would occur, Politico notes, nor did it appear to sway lawmakers who had doubts about military action. During the call, which involved top officials including John Kerry, Chuck Hagel, and Susan Rice, the administration discussed an intercepted phone call it called proof the Syrian government used chemical weapons, the Wall Street Journal reports—though the call doesn't directly implicate Bashar al-Assad, the New York Times notes. The White House's goal is "preventing Assad from using chemical weapons again," a Democratic aide said. As to the British vote against using force, the administration said that "the president will make a decision based on what is best for the US and not what other countries would do," said Rep. Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "I don't think the UK ought to have a veto on what the US does or doesn't do." Officials said Obama still hadn't settled on a course of action—but the Times says "all indications" suggest a strike on the heels of the UN's departure from Damascus tomorrow. But we may know more soon: A senior administration official tells CNN the administration will today release declassified intelligence supporting the claim that the Syrian regime launched a chemical attack.