Syrian President Bashar Assad warned there would be "repercussions" should the U.S. decide to strike the country. "You should expect everything," Assad told CBS News' Charlie Rose in Damascus. He noted "different factions" in saying the retaliation could come "not necessarily from the government." Assad sidestepped a question on whether he was making a direct military threat by saying, "I am not a fortune teller." Asked about the possible use of chemical weapons in response to U.S. missile strikes, Assad said, "That depends if the rebels or the terrorists in this region or any other group have it. It could happen." Charlie Rose said that Assad also "denied he had anything to do" with the Aug. 21 chemical attack in a Damascus suburb that the U.S. said had killed 1,429 people, including 426 children. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday in a rebuttal that Assad's denial was "contradicted by fact." Assad could resolve the crisis by turning "every single bit" of his chemical weapons arsenal over to the international community by the end of the week, Kerry said.
