US moves closer to arming Syrian rebels

The Obama administration is rethinking its opposition to arming the rebels who have been locked in a civil war with the Syrian regime for more than two years, defence secretary Chuck Hagel said last night, becoming the first top US official to publicly acknowledge the reassessment.

During a Pentagon news conference with British secretary of state for defence Philip Hammond, Hagel said arming the rebels was one option that the administration was considering in consultation with its allies.

But he said he personally had not decided whether it would be a wise or appropriate move.