U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the Ohio Democrat who's long been an outspoken anti-war voice in Congress, is visiting volatile Syria to explore whether there is a resolution to the violence spiraling across that country.

Kucinich is part of a small delegation on a fact-finding mission to Syria and neighboring Lebanon.

He said in a statement on Monday that he pursued the trip because his constituents, a Cleveland-area district that includes many Arab-Americans, asked him to look into "conditions on the ground" and see if there's a solution to a situation that's "spinning out of control."

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said President Bashar al-Assad met with Kucinich and the accompanying delegation Monday.