US close to approving lethal aid for rebels

The Obama administration could decide this week to approve lethal aid for Syrian rebels, officials said.

It will also consider the merits of a less likely move to send in US air power to enforce a no-fly zone over the civil war-torn nation.

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 city of Homs, which could cut off the armed opposition from the south and clear a path from Damascus to the Mediterranean coast for the regime.