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The top US military officer has outlined the costs, risks and benefits of possible American military involvement in the Syrian conflict, BBC reported.

Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen Martin Dempsey offered five military options, including limited strikes and establishing a no-fly zone.

But he said using force in Syria would be "no less than an act of war" and could cost the US billions of dollars.

Washington has so far ruled out military intervention in Syria.

Its role in the conflict is currently limited to delivering humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries and providing non-lethal help to the Syrian opposition.

In an open letter to senators, Gen Dempsey analysed five military options the US military could potentially undertake in Syria:
training, advising and assisting the opposition
conducting limited strikes
establishing a no-fly zone
creating buffer zones inside Syria
controlling Damascus' chemical arms

Gen Dempsey acknowledged that the outlined actions would strengthen the opposition and put more pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, but he warned the US should learn from its previous interventions, as in Afghanistan and Iraq.