During the speech, Obama said the U.S. was ready to strike at any time, explaining intervention would be “limited in duration and scope.”

“Engaging in a military action in Syria is very risky,” said Najib Hourani, an assistant professor of anthropology. “No military action is guaranteed. … No military action can take place without reaction — what that reaction might be is unpredictable.”

Since the start of the conflict in Syria in 2011, nearly 100,000 people have been killed, according to the United Nations.

The U.N. Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, announced in a statement Sept. 3 that the number of Syrian refugees has topped 2 million, adding there was “no sign of the outflow ending soon.”

Since the conflict started, a major concern has been who will take over if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad steps down.

“For many in the U.S. and Israel, the question was, ‘Do we preserve a devil we know, or do we allow a devil we don’t know to come to power?’” Hourani said.

The issue has drawn national and international attention and calls for action on the part of the U.S.

For some time, there has been tension between two camps around the conflict, which started in March 2011. The U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar are pitted against Assad’s regime, Hourani said, and on the other hand, Russia, Syria, Iran and Hezbollah — a Shiite Islamic militant group and political party based in Lebanon — are preparing for a possible standoff with the U.S.

International relations senior Charbel Al-Haj, who originally is from Lebanon, said fellow Lebanese people are anxious for the Syrian conflict to end since Hezbollah, which dominates political life in Lebanon, is involved in the conflict.

“If the conflict blows up in Syria, if the U.S. gets further involved, that would really explode things,” Hourani said, adding there are numerous experts warning of a regional war.

“Showing (Syrians) not to fight war by bringing them war is not a solution,” said Maggie Barnard, president of the MSU chapter of Amnesty International.

Hourani said “it is a bit of a mystery,” who executed the chemical weapons attack since the public hasn’t seen the evidence proving the Assad regime was responsible.

International relations senior Anas Attal, who is from Syria, echoed Hourani’s comment, adding that unless the U.S. government is withholding information for a given reason, the public should be provided proof.

Attal, who still has family living in Syria, said it was a good decision for the president to consult with Congress, but stressed the importance of respecting the vote even if they decide not to strike.

“The people who live in Syria want a way out. They are in favor of the strike — the strike directed against Assad that is,” Attal added. “I know there are a lot of debates on what should be done. And I don’t have an answer. To strike Syria would deter Assad, but what is the aftermath? What becomes of this ultimate plan? We should find an alternative.”

Staff reporter Meg Dedyne contributed to this report.