In the aftermath of the beheading of American journalist James Foley at the hands of an ISIS soldier, U.S. President Barack Obama is now considering options of how to increase military strikes against the Islamist organization.

Washington is now openly debating direct confrontation, rather than containment.

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The development comes as the hawks and the doves of Washington, wary over another American deployment in the Middle East after heavy losses and questionable outcomes in Iraq and Afghanistan, mull possible strategies after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called ISIS an "imminent threat to every interest we have" on Thursday.

Under U.S. law, the military can only continue its campaign against ISIS for 60 days, meaning Obama would have to cease and desist all military operations in October. Only through an act of Congress could that time limit be extended as stipulated by the War Powers Resolution, a provision that constitutionally allows emergency military actions to protect U.S. citizens.

A looming issue is that ISIS territory spans two sovereign nations: Iraq and Syria. While American air forces have, at Iraqi request, driven back ISIS forces for native ground troops in to make gains, international law forbids similar maneuvering on Syrian soil.

A safe haven in Syria provides ISIS time to regroup. ISIS has de facto rule over a territory ranging from the Euphrates Valley in Syria to Baghdad's outskirts in Iraq, but Obama and the U.S. are beholden to legally-defined borders, even if they effectively no longer exist.

Several Pentagon officials see the execution of Foley, dubbed an act of terror, as justification to extend attacks into Syria, hitting ISIS targets across their entire "nation." American officials admit to at least one covert operation in Syria.

"When you see somebody killed in such a horrific way, that represents a terrorist attack," Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters during a briefing on Martha's Vineyard. "That represents a terrorist attack against our country and against an American citizen."

The politics involved may create strange bedfellows. One option includes shoring up the forces of Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad so his army can retake Syrian territory held by ISIS. Heretofore he was considered one of the Middle East's greatest antagonists.

TagsObama, Iraq, ISIS, ISIL, James Wright Foley, World News