Right now, we don’t have any “slam dunk” evidence that Assad’s regime was behind the gas attack. Reports from the CIA and the Pentagon have been delayed, and both bodies are actively seeking additional “smoking gun”-type evidence. Britain stated that no military action should be taken until the U.N. Security Council is “shown evidence from chemical-weapons inspectors.” The U.S. should follow the lead of its ally and wait for all the facts to be reported — and, more important, for the overall support of other nations in the Security Council.

If negotiations change and a coalition of America and its allies do decide to intervene in the Syrian conflict, only then do I believe we should begin a cruise missile attack. That kind of strike is our best option, and would enable the U.S. and its allies to take out Assad’s runways and their weapon supplies within days.

The boots of U.S. soldiers should never touch Syrian ground. Our men and women in the armed services should not be put in harm’s way by this conflict, and putting them on the ground only invites a large-scale war that would threaten the security of Israel and Lebanon.

Sadly, our dependence on foreign oil has forced us into too many conflicts in the Middle East. With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan finally coming to an end, we don’t need to be engaged in another one. We must take on Assad by sending a clear message that we will not sit back while innocent people are being brutally murdered so an oppressive dictator can continue his reign. But until we have the support of our allies, we must not go it alone.

Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York, is the founder of Park Strategies LLC, a public policy and business development firm. Comments about this column? ADAmato@liherald.com.