US considers arming Syrian rebels

The US is rethinking its opposition to arming the Syrian rebels, President Barack Obama's defence chief said last night.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel cautioned that giving weapons to the forces fighting President Bashar al-Assad was only one option being considered.

It carries the risk of arms finding their way into the hands of anti-American extremists among the insurgents, such as the al-Nusra Front.

However, it is viewed to be preferable to many in the US rather than direct US military intervention in the conflict.

Arming the opposition is also viewed in the US as preferable to establishing a no-fly zone or sending in troops to secure chemical weapons.

Asked whether the Obama administration was rethinking its opposition to arming the rebels, Mr Hagel said: "Yes."

"You look at and rethink all options. It doesn't mean you do or you will", Mr Hagel told a Pentagon news conference.

Mr Obama, speaking in Mexico, said the US would "look at all options".

However, he also signalled no decision would be rushed.

"We want to make sure that we look before we leap and that what we're doing is actually helpful to the situation, as opposed to making it more deadly or more complex," Mr Obama said.

Pressure on Mr Obama to act on Syria has grown since the disclosure of US intelligence that Mr Assad's forces likely used chemical weapons on a small scale, particularly sarin gas.

The Syrian government has also mounted a string of attacks reaching from the capital, Damascus, and the central city of Homs out to the Mediterranean coast, homeland of the Alawite minority sect to which Mr Assad himself belongs.

Forces loyal to Mr Assad stormed the coastal village of Baida yesterday, killing at least 50 people, including women and children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

An Obama administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said re-examining the option of arming the rebels was part of a broad look at ways to hasten an end to the conflict.

The conflict has cost more than 70,000 lives and forced refugees to flee to US allies Turkey and Jordan.

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