Middle east and the war in syria threatens to drag in israel as a group seizes a key border post. A second american has been killed fighting for isis and with one american hostage murdered, the mother of another is pleading with isis for his freedom. President obama is considering whether to pull the trigger on air strikes against isis targets in syria. Our correspondents are standing by with full coverage and lets begin with our senior White House Correspondent jim acosta on a very tough decision facing the president. With a growing chorus of republicans calling on president obama to lay out his plan for dealing with isis. The president has been meeting with top officials all week on potential options for striking the group in syria, but no decision yet. Secretary of state john kerry and Top Administration officials were spotted leaving the west wing today as the white house continues to weigh options on the isis threat. The president has called isis a cancer. If isis is a cancer does he want to defeat it . Well, of course. Reporter as the pentagon announced new air strikes against isis targets in iraq, the white house remained keiji over whether syria is next and soon. Is it crunch time . I would say this is a situation that the president and his team is watching very closely. Reporter the u. S. Is also working to rescue a small number of americans held hostage by isis as recently freed urn joalist theo curtis is back on american soil. To all those people i say a huge thank you from my heart, from the bottom of my heart. The mother of Steven Sotloff pleaded for mercy. I ask you to please release my child. The administration is also eyeing another potential humanitarian crisis in Northern Iraq and ethnic shiite turkmen fleeing their homes to escape isis fighters. The isis arm of terror is growing. Militants posted this video on youtube boasting the group now wields this americanmade howitzer, a claim cnn cannot verify. Lawmakers are calling on the president to make his case. We are launching air strikes in iraq for reasons which are really not totally specified yet, but surveillance if syria. How does that work . There is no strategy. Even as one Top Republican told cnn, a get tough approach would be popular. Im anxious to hear what the president has in mind and hes very likely to get support. But targeting isis in syria would be more complicated than the mission in iraq. There would be no coordination with the syrian leadership. The administration has said that they are not seek the cooperation or approval of the a assad regime and on the ground intelligence because weve not the presence in syria that we had iraq. They want more International Partners to deal with isis and thats happening in iraq, but in syria that is another question. A spokesperson told cnn that air strikes at this point in syria are not under discussion and however all of that, wolf, will be on the table when the president meets with nato. Jim acostaa the the white house. Theyre helping to slow the isis advance in iraq, but they concede thats about all air strikes can can do even as the president considers extending the air campaign to syria. Barbara, the president under an enormous amount of pressure to hit isis hard including in syria. Whats the view youre getting from inside the pentagon. Wolf, when you walk the hallways around the pentagon, what you hear mainly is nobody right now is going to be rushed into a decision. Not the president , not the secretary of defense, not the chairman of the joint chiefs. When and if the president makes a decision they will be ready to go, but right now they are continuing to gather intelligence from those drones flying overhead in the region about where isis positions are in. Syria, where their troops are and how theyre moving around and all of that, where the weapons are, but theyre only able to get that overhead intelligence right now, so if theyre going to do air strikes they need to keep that up because isis is always on the move. No real rush to do it by all accounts at this point. What officials are saying that Everybody Needs to have an understanding of what the understanding is and what theyre trying to do and what threat those isis fighters on the ground inside syria pose to the United States. Wolf . What you are hearing now, barbara is that drones are fliing Reconnaissance Missions and surveillance over potential isis targetses in syria, but manned aircraft not yet, is that right . No manned aircraft at this point and our understanding from several sources is that what is continuing to happen is very high altitudeflying drones are just on the other side and staying inside the iraq side of the border and from these positions they can basically, if you will peek into syria and gather some of the intelligence. The real time targeting intelligence that will be needed when and if the president needs to make a decision. Wolf . Barbara starr at the pentagon, thanks very much. A new development into the bleed civil war. The jihadist tied to al qaeda has seized a key crossing point on syrias border with the Golan Heights. During the clash they fell in syrian territory. Ben wiedman is joining us live from the border area and up in the Golan Heights and this is a potentially worrisome development especially for israel. Whats the latest there, ben . Reporter yes, its a very sensitive situation at this point, wolf. At this point we understand that the distance between Israeli Forces on the demarcation line in the Golan Heights and up front that Al Qaedaaffiliated group is only about 200 yards. Now there was a lot of we heard, actually, we were just about two kilometers away from the border where that crossing is and we heard a lot of shells landing on the syrian side and in fact, one every few minutes and they were quite loud. So their fighting is continuing on that area and the israelis really are going to pains to stress that those shells that landed within the territory, they control or are errant in their words and so far this morning, one israeli officer was wounded by one of those errant shells and two civilians also were wounded, as well and we were told by one eyewitness who has experience in these things that these shells really didnt look so errant. That two of them apparently landed very close to the israeli position at that crossing. This evening we also saw a lot of armor on the move, armored personnel carriers being moved around in transport vehicles. So certainly, the atmosphere is very tense. Many of the areas around the demarcation line between the golan and syria have been declared as closed military areas. Nobodys been allowed in and some of these israeli communities near that line and some people have been informed or advised to stay in their safe room. So a very tense situation here. The feeling is, however, that it would be a serious step on the part of the Syrian Rebels including the front to actually engage directly with the Israeli Forces because the Israeli Forces here are large in number. This is a very militarized area and it appears that the israelis are preparing for all eventualities. Ive been told by israeli sources that if, in fact that al nusra and some of these forces that were to attack which has been relatively quiet, Bashar Al Assad being careful that it remains quiet, but if would heat up the israelis would pound quickly and i suppose thats what youre seeing with the tanks and the other equipment up in the Golan Heights and ben wiedman is there and well check back in with him as well. Retired u. S. General, the former nato supreme allied commander. You know that situation up on the Golan Heights very, very well. I think youll agree that if rockets start coming in from al nusra positions theyve taken over this key border checkpoint of the Golan Heights and the israelis will react strongly. In they will react and react very quickly and with a great deal of firepower. Do you think al nusra is itching for a fight with israel to establish some credentials, if you will, with their base . Its hard to say. I think both isis and the current threat on the golan youre seeing the steps here of trying to make it a much wider engagement. What has to happen here is some intelligence has to be gathered on exactly what the intentions are, and i believe thats what you see all of the activity going on, but if were talking air strikes, u. S. Airstrikes then you have to on have rules of engagement and thats going to be how to take out those air defenses in syria and others that would threaten them. Well get in depth with that. Stand by. General is here and we have a lot to discuss with him. Well take a quick break. Much more right after this. Over 20 million kids everyday in our country lack access to healthy food. For the first time American Kids are slated to live a shorter life span than their parents. Its a problem that we can turn around and change. Revolution foods is a company we started to provide access to healthy, affordable, kidinspired, chefcrafted food. 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The result our Gold Standard of safety. And the only place youll find it is at the lexus golden opportunity sales event. Now through september 2nd. This is the pursuit of perfection. Our top story, the United States gathering intelligence on possible target as president obama considers whether to order air strikes against isis in syria. Those air strikes are going on in iraq and were back with the former nato allied supreme commander. Theyre mulling, its a very difficult decision. It was one thing to launch air strikes inside iraq and you have the support of the irk Iraqi Military as crumby as it might sxbt peshmerga forces. What do you have in syria . What you have right now is a very robust air Defense System by the syrians and that has to be taken into account if were going to do air strikes in syria. And im not sure where the rebelses are in. All of this. It it seems that theyve been on the defensive for . Time, but if were going to do air strikes and theres a whole planning process that has to go through that and it includes rules of engagement, hostile intent and hostile act and if they turn on a radar and those are the sorts of things that the supreme allied commander that the u. S. And nato is prepared. You need to define the mission and you need clarity as you like to say. The president s meeting with the nato allies next week in wales. Where are the nato allies . Because so many people write to me why does the United States always have to do these kind of things . Where are all of the nato allies . They are very, very concerned both with whats occurring in the ukraine and syria and elsewhere within the larger area of operations. I really think that here is an opportunity for the president of the United States if nato doesnt work unless the u. S. Leads. Let me be very candid here and he has to at this heads of state summit which is what we call the 28 nations of nato. He has to lay out his assessment of what he sees happening and what needs to be done and he has to lay out a format for nato to act and thats very important. Can air strikes alone destroy isis inside syria . They can really prevent some of the momentum that isis has now. But like in the kurdish region. You combine air strikes with a maneuver then it can be effective. Are you saying the u. S. Should be involved on the ground in syria . Not in syria. The Kurdish Forces and im not sure which of the rebel forces, but lets remember isis is they enemy of the Syrian Government right now and so that has to be worked out. Thats why i think its a very difficult situation right now. What was shocking to me and im anxious to get your thought that the Syrian Military, bashar al arc assad and they lose control of this key checkpoint to the forces on the Golan Heights . What does that say it to you about the Syrian Military . It makes them suspect because theres no reason, unless that they were pulling back for more important targets elsewhere in the north of syria, but that is, to me, indication that perhaps this force is not as strong as we think it is. Its an indication to me that this regime potentially could be crumbling right now in the face of this enormous threat. Theyre losing all sorts of areas to isis and other forces there. But there is an opportunity here to say as we look at threats, the danger of isis and what it can do and not just in syria, but in iraq and elsewhere, even in israel needs to be taken into account and we need to say timewise, i think its better to act sooner rather than later. If the president of the United States, youre a man of experience, you know these issues. What is worse from the u. S. National security perspective . Syria controlled by Bashar Al Assads regime and syria controlled by isis and al nusra . Tough question. I would say that i would still think that the Syrian Regime as we see it now with Bashar Al Assad is more dangerous to me than isis, but i think isis, to the wider region, presents a greater threat. Its a sunnibased threat that i think is of great concern for the larger middle east. And its a great concern because im hearing more and more westerners including americans joining forces and its shocking to see whats going on on. Its something that the intelligence needs to look at very carefully and the intent is at least isis proclaimed objective is the United States. How worried should we be that the u. S. Intelligence doesnt necessarily have a good handle on whats going on . Ied be very worried. I wouldnt exaggerate the threat, but i would be very worried that i would think they would trisome targeting of u. S. Assets and we have a lot of target, not just embassies and consulates, et cetera. I think its something that we really need to put the hammer down on intelligence here and we have ways to do that and there are things going on now on the collection side they think need to be ramped up and targeted specifically on where isis is going and what their leadership is and start targeting the leadership. General, thanks very much for joining us . Thank you. The former nato supreme allied commander. Coming up, officials are stunned at the growing strength of isis and how well its performing on the battlefield. Well show you whats behind this terror groups success and should the u. S. Target isis inside syria and ill ask the house are to inaffairs committee. Congressman ed royce, you see him there. Well discuss right here in the situation room. Im mom at the playground and the dog park. The kids get trail mix, and you get a delicious milos kitchen chicken meatball. I wish you liked my cooking that much. Milos kitchen. 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