UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is questioning the legality of US plans to strike Syria, without the backing of the UN.
Ban says the use of force is only legal when it is in self-defense or with Security Council authorization. Ban was speaking to reporters after US President Barack Obama won the support of two top Republicans in Congress in his call for limited US strikes on Syria, to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for his alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians last month.
Ban also questions whether the use of force could cause more harm than good in Syria. Statistics show more than 100,000 people have been killed in the 2.5 years long Syrian civil war.