The USS San Antonio, a navy amphibious ship with several helicopters and hundreds of Marines on board, has also been ordered to be stationed in the eastern Mediterranean, but a defense official said it has "received no specific tasking".

No amphibious landing is in the works, however, as Obama has ruled out any "boots on the ground" if the US takes military action against the Syrian government.

Obama's decision to ask Congress to authorize military action on Saturday lifted the threat of immediate strikes on President Bashar al-Assad's government.

In a separate development, the US decision to postpone possible strikes on Syria has done little to allay fears in northern Israel, where lines at post offices were backing up as civilians collected gas masks.

Talk of imminent US military action against Damascus had sparked widespread panic in Israel.

Fearing the fallout from any attack on Syria could spill across their northern border and drag the Jewish state into the conflict, Israelis last week rushed to replace their old gas masks.

But lines continued to back up for hours as many Israelis, particularly in the north near the borders with Syria and Lebanon, insisted on collecting protective gear that has been distributed at post offices across the country.

Local media reported on Monday that some 40 percent of the population still did not have gasmasks.

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