A senior White House official says U.S. President Barack Obama has authorized surveillance flights over Syria.

白宫一名高层官员说，美国总统奥巴马已经授权在叙利亚上空进行侦察飞行。

The official said late Monday that Mr. Obama has not approved any military action, but that the U.S. is preparing military options for combating the Islamic State fighters who have taken over large areas in eastern Syria and northern and western Iraq.

这位官员星期一晚间说，奥巴马没有批准采取军事行动，但美国正准备打击伊斯兰国武装分子的选择性军事方案。伊斯兰国武装分子占领了叙利亚东部以及伊拉克北部和西部的大片地区。

U.S. planes have been carrying out airstrikes in Iraq, helping Iraqi and Kurdish forces take back territory from the militants, including a dam in Mosul that is key to providing power to many in Iraq.

美国战机曾对伊拉克进行空袭，帮助伊拉克和库尔德军队夺回激进分子占领的地区，包括摩苏尔大坝。这座水坝对伊拉克很多地区的供电至关重要。

Pentagon officials have expressed the need to go after the Islamic State group on both sides of the border.

五角大楼官员表示，有必要在叙利亚境内和境外对伊斯兰国实施打击。

The operation is complicated by the ongoing civil war in Syria.  White House officials say Mr. Obama does not want U.S. action to be seen as aiding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has repeatedly blamed "terrorists" for the conflict that has raged in his country for more than three years.

这一行动由于叙利亚内战而变得复杂化。白宫官员说，奥巴马总统不希望美国的行动被看做对叙利亚总统阿萨德的援助。阿萨德屡次将国内冲突归咎于“恐怖分子”。叙利亚内战已经持续了3年多。

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