[Tapper:] As the world waits to see what's going to happen in Syria, Israel confirms it carried out a missile test today in the Mediterranean. The Israeli defense ministry says the arrow defense system you see an arrow missile here successfully detected and tracked a sparrow target missile. The U.S. Department of Defense confirms that it provided technical assistance and support for the missile test, but a Pentagon spokesman says the test had nothing to do with any possible U.S. military action in Syria. In the next hour, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will holds its first hearings on the case for striking Syria. Among those testifying, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey, and Secretary of State John Kerry. Joining me now is a new face on CNN, chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto. Jim, first of all, welcome. Good to see you again.
[Jim Sciutto, Chief National Security Correspondent:] It's great to be onboard. Look forward to doing a lot of work together.
[Tapper:] Absolutely. We're lucky to have you here. First of all, what do you expect will come out of today's hearing?
[Sciutto:] Well, Secretaries Hagel and Kerry, they're going to be making the deterrent case for an attack, saying that not only will Bashar al- Assad be watching what the U.S. does, but so will Iran, Hezbollah, North Korea, and say, that if the U.S. does not act now, they will be emboldened to use these kinds of weapons, attack U.S. allies and also threaten U.S. interest. Dempsey's going to focus on the military side. He's going to make the case that no matter when the U.S. military strikes, it's going to have value.
[Tapper:] How could that possibly be? How could it possibly be the case that giving Syria all this lead time won't affect the strikes and how potentially effective they are?
[Sciutto:] I mean you and I remember, being embedded, operational security was everything.
[Tapper:] Sure.
[Sciutto:] You don't want it telegraph. We have telegraphed here. The Defense Department argument is that they would be adjusting their targets no matter what. Had they started this weekend or two weeks from now, as they begin an attack, Syrian forces respond. They move resources. The Pentagon would be adjusting their targets. So whether they do it today or two weeks from now, they would still have a military effect. It's a difficult case to make because chemical weapons facilities can empty, troops can disperse, missiles can be moved. It's going to be a tough argument.
[Tapper:] And Dempsey himself has expressed skepticism both publicly and privately about the effectiveness of this potential attack.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Tapper:] What is he going to say today? Senators are going to bring that up.
[Sciutto:] Yes, he's on the record. He wrote a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee saying that any action would amount to a serious act of war. What the Pentagon is saying now is that he was a skeptic not of a limited strike. A skeptic only of a massive military operation. A no-fly zone, boots on the ground and it's something like the White House is talking about a targeted strike with limitations on timing, targets and certainly no boots on the ground. That he's never been a skeptic of and he's onboard.
[Tapper:] All right, Jim Sciutto, good to have you onboard.
[Sciutto:] Thanks very much.
[Tapper:] The U.N. says a Syrian becomes a refugee every 15 seconds. The numbers are staggering. In a minute we'll hear about some of the horrors women refugees are facing.