Middle East/North Africa

Menendez (D-N.J.) introduced legislation on Monday that would provide arms to vetted opposition groups.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) on Monday introduced a bill that would provide arms to vetted rebel groups.

The escalating crisis in Syria will likely be at the top of Secretary of State John Kerry's agenda during his first meeting with Defense Department Secretary Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon. 

White House press secretary Jay Carney dismissed new testimony Monday about the State Department's handling of the terror attack in Benghazi, arguing the panel that investigated the government's response had provided a "critical" and thorough account.

"There was an accountability review board led by two men of unimpeachable expertise and credibility that oversaw a process that was rigorous and unsparing," Carney said.

The Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday featuring new testimony from a trio of State Department employees who claim to have new information challenging the government's official account. 

The White House on Monday defended President Obama's “red line” on Syria. 

A U.N. commission says it has no conclusive findings of chemical weapons use by any parties.

A key Senate panel hears this week from President Obama's nominee to replace slain Ambassador Christopher Stevens, giving Republicans an ideal platform to demand answers to their questions about last year's terror attack in Benghazi, Libya.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has announced it will hold a hearing Tuesday on the nomination of Deborah Kay Jones to serve as ambassador to Libya. The hearing comes as Republicans are relaunching their investigation into the attack. The House oversight panel hears from three State Department witnesses on Wednesday, and some senators have threatened to hold up Jones's nomination.

“Unfortunately it seems like that’s the only vehicle we can use to get answers,” panel member Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told The Hill shortly after crossing swords with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she testified in January. 

“I’d like to cooperate with the president and make sure that his administration is staffed and these important ambassadorships are filled. But if that’s the only avenue we have in terms of eliciting information from the administration, that might be something we have to do.”

The allegations will likely make it harder for the Obama administration to justify taking a more active role in Syria.

The White House said Sunday it was "horrified" by reports that more than 100 people were executed last week by pro-Assad forces in the Syrian town of Bayda.

Lawmakers from both parties on Sunday called for ramped up U.S. action in Syria after Israeli strikes.