Nicola Sturgeon is "prepared to listen" to the case for the UK launching air strikes on Syria, but the Scottish First Minister insisted it was "incumbent" on David Cameron to make the case for this before any attack.
The SNP leader said last month that her party would oppose this use of force, arguing then that what is needed "is not more bombing, but a renewed and intensive diplomatic initiative".
But in the wake of Friday's terrorist attacks on Paris, in which 129 people were killed, she said she would consider the matter.
Ms Sturgeon, who became First Minister a year ago, told BBC Scotland: "I'm prepared to listen. Given what is happening, what has happened, I think it would be irresponsible not to do that.
"But I think it is incumbent on the Prime Minister, if he is going to bring a proposal for air strikes to the House of Commons, that he makes that case and he addresses that case to these key points."
Mr Cameron has already signalled his determination to seek Commons support for extending RAF air strikes against IS - currently restricted to Iraq - into Syria in the wake of the terror attacks in the French capital.
The Conservative leader insisted the question of how to dismantle Islamic State (IS) bases in Syria ''cannot be dodged forever'' as he pushed for Britain to join air strikes.
He also dismissed suggestions that the UK should only take military action if there was a UN Security Council resolution, saying he would not ''outsource to Russian veto the decisions that we need to keep our country safe''.
A ComRes poll for the Daily Mail found that 60% of people support British military air strikes against Syria, with 24% opposed.
The SNP unanimously passed a motion opposing UK participation in the ongoing military action in Syria at its conference last month.
Ms Sturgeon told the conference: "The motivation for UK military action appears to be based on a need to do something, rather than any real consideration of whether the action proposed will make a positive difference.
''This question has not been answered: when air strikes by US, Russian, Arab, Turkish and French forces have not brought this multi-layered conflict closer to a resolution, what possible grounds are there for believing that adding UK air strikes will do so?
''The risk is that they will simply add to the already unimaginable human suffering.
''What is needed is not more bombing, but a renewed and intensive diplomatic initiative, led by the UN, to seek a lasting resolution of the conflict and defeat the horror that is Isis.
''It is for these reasons that the SNP will oppose UK air strikes on Syria.''
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