AMMAN, Jordan, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Syrian President Bashar Assad's days are numbered as opposition leaders call for international military intervention, a U.S. lawmaker said in Jordan.
More than 3,000 people have been killed by Syrian forces since an uprising against Assad's regime started in mid March. Most of the international community has condemned the violence, though the U.N. Security Council has its hands tied because of veto threats from Russian and China.
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, told delegates at the World Economic Forum in Jordan the "Syrian revolution" is entering a new phase as pressure on Assad's regime mounts.
"More Syrians appear to be taking up arms against the regime," he said. "There are even growing calls among the opposition for some kind of foreign military intervention."
Earlier, Syrian analysts had worried the escalation of violence in Syria meant the country was nearing civil war.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Damascus announced that Ambassador Robert Ford was back in Washington following threats to his personal safety. The U.S. Embassy, in a statement posted through its account on Twitter, said Washington wasn't sure when he'd return.
"It will depend on assessment of security situation on the ground," the embassy statement read.
