With US President Barack Obama's push for military action against Syria passing its first hurdle in the Senate, the countdown to military intervention by the United States in the Middle East country has begun ticking again.

With the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voting 10 to 7 in favor of a resolution authorizing the use of military force in Syria, it could go before the full Senate next week.

However, before proceeding any further US lawmakers may want to triple check both the legal and moral grounds on which Obama has built his case.