Although the US military has the militants of ISIS in its crosshairs, it's not clear who will step in to fill any territory they may leave behind. Some activists worry that, despite finally receiving direct US intervention, the Syrian opposition will still fall short in the wake of airstrikes.
Reports of chemical weapon use in Syria have reignited the debate over a possible US or Western intervention in Syria's civil war. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with two Syrian emigres, Dr. Rim Turkmani in London and Professor Amr al-Azm in Ohio.
Syrian rebels say they've won control of a strategic region in the east of the country, bordering Iraq, with the fall of an army base in Mayadeen.
Anchor Marco Werman analyses the balance of power in Syria with Joshua Landis, of Oklahoma University, and Syrian opposition activist, Professor Amr al-Azm of Shawnee State University in Ohio.
Over the weekend, violence in the city of Aleppo continued to claim lives. It also claimed some of Syria's cultural heritage, its centuries-old covered market. Hundreds of shops were destroyed by fire, which UNESCO recognizes as a World Heritage Site.
Syria has a cache of weapons of mass destruction, certainly including chemical weapons, possibly including biological weapons, and on Monday President Barack Obama warned Syria that moving or using any of those weapons would bring swift U.S. military intervention.