Bashar Assad tells Charlie Rose U.S. should "expect every action" in response to Syria strikes

President Bashar Assad warned Sunday that if President Obama decides to launch military strikes on Syria, the U.S. and its allies should "expect every action" in retaliation.

"You should expect everything. Not necessarily from the government," Assad told "CBS This Morning" co-host Charlie Rose in his first television interview since Mr. Obama sought congressional approval for military action.

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In a clear reference to his allies in Iran and the Islamic militant group Hezbollah, Assad warned that his government is "not the only player in this region."

"You have different parties, you have different factions, you have different ideology. You have everything in this region now," said Assad, who has been accused by the White House of killing 1,400 of his own people in an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack on the Damascus suburbs.

Asked by Rose whether any retaliation for U.S. strikes could include the use of chemical weapons, Assad -- whose government has never confirmed officially that it even has chemical weapons -- said it would depend "if the rebels or the terrorists in this region or any other group have it. It could happen, I don't know. I am not fortune teller."

Rose said Sunday on the "CBS Evening News" that the Syrian dictator was "remarkably calm" during the interview as he addressed the claims that he had gassed his own people.

Excerpts from Rose's interview with Assad will air at 7 a.m. Eastern on "CBS This Morning." The interview will air in its entirety Monday night on "The Charlie Rose Show" on PBS.

Assad's government has blamed the Aug. 21 attack in Damascus' eastern Ghouta suburbs on opposition forces which have been battling to topple him from power for more than two years.

Russia has also suggested the rebels could have been behind the attack, and Moscow continues to urge the U.S. to delay any military action at least until a team of United Nations inspectors issues its report on the incident after collecting samples and evidence on the ground in Ghouta. The report is expected by mid-September, but will offer conclusions only on which chemical agents were used and how -- not on which side used them.

The Obama administration believes the evidence is already clear, based on secret intelligence allegedly showing Assad regime troops preparing for and even carrying out the attack on Ghouta using missiles tipped with chemical warheads, and intercepted communications between regime officials on the day of the attack.

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But while the White House has shared that intelligence with some members of Congress, and has managed to convince a few skeptical lawmakers, its public case for punitive action against Assad is based largely on circumstantial evidence.

U.S. officials and their allies around the world insist the Ghouta attack could only have been carried out by the Syrian government because only the Syrian military possesses the missiles, chemical agents and know-how necessary to successfully deliver a deadly toxin like sarin gas on such a wide scale.

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Secretary of State John Kerry has spent days trying to garner international backers for any U.S. military action in Syria, but he's managed to get firm commitments only from France and Saudi Arabia.

Kerry said Sunday in London that Saudi Arabia was supportive of a U.S-led strike and was convinced Assad was behind the Ghouta attack -- and he expected other Arab countries to issue statements of support on Monday, reported CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan.

But few were expected to say they would join in a military strike.

Kerry got a similarly hesitant response from the European Union on Saturday, which urged the world to send "a clear and strong response," but asked the U.S. to delay any action until the U.N. weapons inspectors finish their report.

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Yosemite fire "poses every challenge there can be"

Updated 11:04 PM ET

GROVELAND, Calif. At Ike Bunney's dude ranch near the Sierra community of Tuolumne City, all creatures have been evacuated as firefighters brace for an intense battle to keep a wildfire raging north of Yosemite National Park out of mountain communities.

"We've already evacuated the horses," said Bunney, who was keeping an eye on his Slide Mountain Guest Ranch on Sunday. "I think they're worried about the fire sparking over these hills."

As fire leapfrogs across the vast, picturesque Sierra forests, moving from one treetop to the next, residents in the fire's path are moving animals and children to safety.

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The fire has moved northeast away from Groveland, where smoke gave away to blue skies Sunday. But at Tuolumne City's Black Oak Casino in Tuolumne City, the slot machines were quiet as emergency workers took over nearly all of the resort's 148 hotel rooms.

"The casino is empty," said casino employee Jessie Dean, who left her four children at relatives' homes in the Central Valley. "Technically, the casino is open, but there's nobody there."

Hundreds of firefighters were deployed Sunday to protect Tuolumne City and other communities in the path of the Rim Fire. Eight fire trucks and four bulldozers were deployed near Bunney's ranch on the west side of Mount Baldy, where two years of drought have created tinder-dry conditions.

"Winds are increasing, so it's going to be very challenging," said Bjorn Frederickson, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.

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The fire continues burning in the remote wilderness area of Yosemite, but park spokesman Tom Medena said it's edging closer to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, the source of San Francisco's famously pure drinking water.

Despite ash falling like snowflakes on the reservoir and a thick haze of smoke limiting visibility to 100 feet, the quality of the water piped to the city 150 miles away is still good, say officials with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

The city's hydroelectric power generated by the system has been interrupted by the fire, forcing the utility to spend $600,000 buying power on the open market.

Park employees are continuing their efforts to protect two groves of giant sequoias that are unique the region by cutting brush and setting sprinklers, Medena said.

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The fire has consumed nearly 225 square miles of picturesque forests. Officials estimate containment at just 7 percent.

"It's slowing down a bit, but it's still growing," Frederickson said.

Fire lines near Ponderosa Hills and Twain Hart are being cut miles ahead of the blaze in locations where fire officials hope they will help protect the communities should the fire jump containment lines.

"There is a huge focus in those areas in terms of air support and crews on the ground building fire lines to protect those communities. We're facing difficult conditions and extremely challenging weather," Frederickson said.

The high winds and movement of the fire from bone-dry brush on the ground to 100-foot oak and pine treetops have created dire conditions.

"A crown fire is much more difficult to fight," said Daniel Berlant of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "Our firefighters are on the ground having to spray up."

The blaze sweeping across steep, rugged river canyons quickly has become one of the biggest in California history, thanks in part to extremely dry conditions caused by a lack of snow and rainfall this year. Investigators are trying to determine how the fire started Aug. 17, days before lightning storms swept through the region and sparked other, smaller blazes.

Safety officer Sam Lobese is one of the firefighters taking part in the effort. Asked by CBS News' Bigad Shaban on how to protect a national treasure such as Yosemite National Park, Lobese said: "You know you go in, you do what you can, make fire lines make fire breaks -- whatever it takes. And then you throw in the factor of fire creating its own weather -- it just compounds the factor of putting the fire out."

The fire is the most critical of a dozen burning across California, officials say. More than 12 helicopters and a half-dozen fixed wing tankers are dropping water and retardant from the air, and 2,800 firefighters are on the ground.

"This fire has continued to pose every challenge that there can be on a fire: inaccessible terrain, strong winds, dry conditions. It's a very difficult firefight," Berlant said.

Statewide, more than 8,300 firefighters are battling nearly 400 square miles of fires. Many air districts have issued health advisories as smoke settles over Northern California. While Yosemite Valley is clear, the Lake Tahoe basin is thick with smoke, and many outdoor activities have been canceled in Reno, Nev.

The U.S. Forest Service says about 4,500 structures are threatened by the Rim Fire. Berlant said 23 structures were destroyed, though officials have not determined whether they were homes or rural outbuildings.

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Yosemite fire "poses every challenge there can be"

Updated 11:04 PM ET

GROVELAND, Calif. At Ike Bunney's dude ranch near the Sierra community of Tuolumne City, all creatures have been evacuated as firefighters brace for an intense battle to keep a wildfire raging north of Yosemite National Park out of mountain communities.

"We've already evacuated the horses," said Bunney, who was keeping an eye on his Slide Mountain Guest Ranch on Sunday. "I think they're worried about the fire sparking over these hills."

As fire leapfrogs across the vast, picturesque Sierra forests, moving from one treetop to the next, residents in the fire's path are moving animals and children to safety.

18 Photos

The fire has moved northeast away from Groveland, where smoke gave away to blue skies Sunday. But at Tuolumne City's Black Oak Casino in Tuolumne City, the slot machines were quiet as emergency workers took over nearly all of the resort's 148 hotel rooms.

"The casino is empty," said casino employee Jessie Dean, who left her four children at relatives' homes in the Central Valley. "Technically, the casino is open, but there's nobody there."

Hundreds of firefighters were deployed Sunday to protect Tuolumne City and other communities in the path of the Rim Fire. Eight fire trucks and four bulldozers were deployed near Bunney's ranch on the west side of Mount Baldy, where two years of drought have created tinder-dry conditions.

"Winds are increasing, so it's going to be very challenging," said Bjorn Frederickson, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.

Play Video

The fire continues burning in the remote wilderness area of Yosemite, but park spokesman Tom Medena said it's edging closer to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, the source of San Francisco's famously pure drinking water.

Despite ash falling like snowflakes on the reservoir and a thick haze of smoke limiting visibility to 100 feet, the quality of the water piped to the city 150 miles away is still good, say officials with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

The city's hydroelectric power generated by the system has been interrupted by the fire, forcing the utility to spend $600,000 buying power on the open market.

Park employees are continuing their efforts to protect two groves of giant sequoias that are unique the region by cutting brush and setting sprinklers, Medena said.

Play Video

The fire has consumed nearly 225 square miles of picturesque forests. Officials estimate containment at just 7 percent.

"It's slowing down a bit, but it's still growing," Frederickson said.

Fire lines near Ponderosa Hills and Twain Hart are being cut miles ahead of the blaze in locations where fire officials hope they will help protect the communities should the fire jump containment lines.

"There is a huge focus in those areas in terms of air support and crews on the ground building fire lines to protect those communities. We're facing difficult conditions and extremely challenging weather," Frederickson said.

The high winds and movement of the fire from bone-dry brush on the ground to 100-foot oak and pine treetops have created dire conditions.

"A crown fire is much more difficult to fight," said Daniel Berlant of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "Our firefighters are on the ground having to spray up."

The blaze sweeping across steep, rugged river canyons quickly has become one of the biggest in California history, thanks in part to extremely dry conditions caused by a lack of snow and rainfall this year. Investigators are trying to determine how the fire started Aug. 17, days before lightning storms swept through the region and sparked other, smaller blazes.

Safety officer Sam Lobese is one of the firefighters taking part in the effort. Asked by CBS News' Bigad Shaban on how to protect a national treasure such as Yosemite National Park, Lobese said: "You know you go in, you do what you can, make fire lines make fire breaks -- whatever it takes. And then you throw in the factor of fire creating its own weather -- it just compounds the factor of putting the fire out."

The fire is the most critical of a dozen burning across California, officials say. More than 12 helicopters and a half-dozen fixed wing tankers are dropping water and retardant from the air, and 2,800 firefighters are on the ground.

"This fire has continued to pose every challenge that there can be on a fire: inaccessible terrain, strong winds, dry conditions. It's a very difficult firefight," Berlant said.

Statewide, more than 8,300 firefighters are battling nearly 400 square miles of fires. Many air districts have issued health advisories as smoke settles over Northern California. While Yosemite Valley is clear, the Lake Tahoe basin is thick with smoke, and many outdoor activities have been canceled in Reno, Nev.

The U.S. Forest Service says about 4,500 structures are threatened by the Rim Fire. Berlant said 23 structures were destroyed, though officials have not determined whether they were homes or rural outbuildings.

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Dear Mr. President: Jackson man writes Obama every day

JACKSON — Francis M. Del Vecchio would like to have a little chat with President Barack Obama.

The 67-year-old township resident, a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Vietnam War and later started a family business providing industrial kitchen equipment, has been writing letters to the president every day ? save the occasional holiday ? since Nov. 18, almost two weeks after Obama defeated former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.

Watch the video above to hear Del Vecchio talk about some of the letters he has written.

Del Vecchio, who said he suffers from throat cancer related to complications from Agent Orange exposure during his wartime service, has since compiled nearly 300 letters (and the White House?s responses) in a self-published book titled, ?Mr. President, What Are You Doing to America??

The letters, which range from exasperation to dry humor, are by no means love letters. Profoundly disappointed in the results of the election, Del Vecchio is convinced that the country he loves is in serious peril from a national populace that is becoming increasingly dependent on government entitlements. He said the country has lost the spirit of self-reliance and rugged individualism that he feels had made America great.

Nevertheless, Del Vecchio said he bears no animus towards the 44th president of the United States.

?I think he?s a good man, I really do,? Del Vecchio said. ?I think he has a lot of great qualities and I agree with a lot of the things he wants to do. But he really lacks management skills in getting them done the right way, so that?s why I write the letters.?

From his home in a gated retirement community, Del Vecchio rises before the sun each day and sits down at his computer to type out a letter based on his views relevant to the news of the day.

?Dear Mr. President,? Del Vecchio typed in his first letter to Obama on Nov. 18. ?I did not vote for you and on more than one occasion have made some very unkind remarks about you. You are an easy target to criticize, especially when I am not standing in your shoes. So, I must put my political objections aside and help my fellow American to help all Americans.?

Over the span of 300 letters, Del Vecchio shares his opinions on a range of hot button political issues: Everyone should pay something in taxes, no matter how small; government waste and inefficiency is prevalent in both political parties, as well as in the executive and legislative branches; and Obamacare is a disaster waiting to happen.

?What nerve you have telling Congress they haven?t been doing their job. They haven?t been doing their job for the last four years and the only thing they can agree on is raising the debt limit so they can get their pay check every week ,? he wrote on Dec. 29.

On Jan. 18, ?Why are we sending tanks and aircraft to Egypt? It doesn?t make any sense to me. We supply Israel, who are threatened by every nation around them and we supply the people that threaten them.? On Feb 5, ?If you think you need to drone someone or a group of people and there are Americans outside the U.S. borders, THEN DO IT. Don?t worry about Congress, when they start doing their job right, then maybe they can tell you how to do your job for the safety and preservation of this country.?

After 103 days, on March 4, Del Vecchio received his first response from the White House, dated Feb. 28, outlining the Obama administration?s position on the fiscal cliff negotiations leading to a bipartisan deal after New Year?s Day. The letter also went on about Obama?s debt reduction plan and outlined the president?s commitment to making sure that the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans paid more in taxes.

Del Vecchio was not impressed.

?The person that penned this letter must have been smoking the grass from the White House lawn,? he lamented in his daily letter. ?Referring to the tax code as the most progressive tax code in decades is a crock of donkey dust, there is nothing progressive about it. It is old and antiquated and the only thing progressive about it is the increase. It resembles a copy of some of your speeches.?

Another letter came from the White House a short time after, this one dated March 7 and typed over the president?s signature: ?Thank you for your thoughtful words. The messages I receive from Americans like you remind me of what is best about our country. ... The American people are looking for cooperation, consensus, and common sense in our government, and they have shown they want action. I intend to deliver that in the months and years ahead.?

And then something odd began to happen. Form letters from the White House began to appear in Del Vecchio?s mailbox, sometimes every day and sometimes identical to the one sent to Del Vecchio the day before, with merely the date changed on the response, each one beginning with the response, ?Thank you for writing...?

Undeterred, Del Vecchio continued his campaign, becoming more familiar in his letters and adding his two cents about whatever the hot topic of the day the president found himself mired in.

In April, after Obama was criticized for opining that California Attorney General Kamala Harris was the ?best-looking attorney general? during a speech he gave at a fundraiser they both attended, Del Vecchio offered his own take on the matter to the president.

?The attorney general in California is a pretty woman and there is nothing wrong about commenting on it,? he wrote to Obama on April 4. ?I am sure you will get some political flack over it, but worse, I don?t think (first lady) Michelle will be too happy and that is worse than any political flack. ... Just not a good move making a woman angry.?

Del Vecchio said his wife and children give him a hard time about his letters, and warn him half-seriously that he is going to find the Secret Service on his door step.

The Asbury Park Press requested a comment from White House mail officials earlier this week, but the office said they did not have enough time to respond.

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