US close to deciding on arming Syrian rebels: Report

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WASHINGTON: The Obama administration could decide this week to approve lethal aid for Syrian rebels and will weigh the merits of a less likely move to send in U.S. airpower to enforce a no-fly zone over the nation wracked by two years of civil war, officials said Sunday.

White House meetings are planned over the coming days as Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government forces are apparently poised for an attack on the key city of Homs, which could cut off Syria’s armed opposition from the south of the country and clear a path for the regime from Damascus to the Mediterranean coast. As many as 5,000 Hezbollah fighters are now in Syria, officials believe, helping the regime press on with its campaign after capturing the town of Qusair near the Lebanese border last week.

Opposition leaders have warned Washington that their rebellion could face devastating, irreversible losses without greater support. Secretary of State John Kerry postponed a planned trip Monday to Israel and three other Mideast countries to participate in White House discussions, said officials who weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.

U.S. officials said President Barack Obama was leaning closer toward signing off on sending weapons to vetted, moderate rebel units. The U.S. has spoken of possibly arming the opposition in recent months but has been hesitant because it doesn’t want al-Qaida-linked and other extremists fighting alongside the anti-Assad militias to end up with the weapons. Obama already has ruled out any intervention that would require U.S. troops on the ground. Other options such as deploying U.S. air power to ground the regime’s jets, gunships and other aerial assets are now being more seriously debated, the officials said, while cautioning that a no-fly zone or any other action involving U.S. military deployments in Syria were far less likely right now.

The president has declared chemical weapons use by the Assad regime a “red line” for more forceful U.S. action. American allies including France and Britain have said they’ve determined with near certitude that Syrian forces have used low levels of sarin in several attacks, but the administration is still studying the evidence.

The U.S. officials said responses that will be considered in this week’s meetings concern the deteriorating situation on the ground in Syria, independent of final confirmation of possible chemical weapons use. (Agencies)

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