US reconsiders arming rebels in Syria

(Vatican Radio) At a Pentagon press conference Thursday, the United States stated it is reconsidering its opposition to arming Syrian rebels.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the U.S. is re-thinking its option to arm rebel forces in Syria, trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

The announcement came following claims of evidence earlier this week that Syrian government forces have used chemical weapons — a claim that Syrian officials have denied.

Hagel cautioned that giving weapons to rebel forces was only one of several options being considered by the U.S. He said evidence was the first priority before moving into action, and no decisions would be rushed.

“You need the evidence if you’re going to exercise certain options, a range of those options. That evidence is particularly important,” he said.

Speaking alongside Hagel at the press conference, British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, said his government was constrained by a European Union ban on supplying arms to the rebels.

Citing past discrepancies over Iraq, he, too, underscored the importance of evidence.

“UK public opinion remembers the evidence we were presented with in 2003. We have to have very clear, very high-quality evidence before we make plans and act,” he said.

To date, the U.S. has resisted being dragged militarily into Syria's conflict and is providing only non-lethal aid to rebels.

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