Washington:
US military proposals for arming Syrian rebels include establishing a limited no-fly zone over rebel training camps and delivering small arms, US media reported Friday.
Up to now Washington has only provided - at least officially - non-lethal aid to the rebels.
The proposed no-fly zone would stretch up to 25 miles (40 kilometers) into Syria, and would be enforced by warplanes flying inside Jordan and armed with long-distance air-to-air missiles, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed US officials.
The Journal also reported that President Barack Obama has issued a classified order directing the Central Intelligence Agency to coordinate with US allies on arming the rebels.
Weapons for the Syrian rebels would include small arms and ammunition, including anti-tank weapons but not anti-aircraft weapons, The New York Times reported, citing unnamed American officials.
Military experts have long warned that a no-fly zone would require Western jets to destroy the regime's relatively good air defenses.
But US planners, according to the Journal, believe this no-fly zone could be imposed in about a month without having to destroy the Syrian anti-aircraft batteries.
It could also be imposed without a UN Security Council resolution because US warplanes would not regularly enter Syrian airspace, and the US military would not be holding Syrian territory.
A no-fly zone is necessary to set up a camp to train rebels, officials said.
"Unless you have a good buffer zone inside Syria, you risk too much," an unnamed US official briefed on the military proposal told the Journal.
This limited no-fly zone would cost about $50 million (37 million euros) a day, far less than a Syria-wide no-fly zone. US officials reportedly hope that Washington's allies could help cover the cost.
The US planes would fly from Jordan -- where US Patriot missiles and F-16 jet fighters have already been deployed -- and from navy ships in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the Journal reported.
In Washington, Republican Senator John McCain has led the charge in Congress for a no-fly zone, saying Syria's rebels will never have a chance against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces unless his jets are neutralized.
"We can establish a no-fly zone without sending a single manned airplane over Syria... and we can change this equation on the battlefield," McCain said Thursday.
Up to now Washington has only provided - at least officially - non-lethal aid to the rebels.
The proposed no-fly zone would stretch up to 25 miles (40 kilometers) into Syria, and would be enforced by warplanes flying inside Jordan and armed with long-distance air-to-air missiles, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed US officials.
The Journal also reported that President Barack Obama has issued a classified order directing the Central Intelligence Agency to coordinate with US allies on arming the rebels.
Weapons for the Syrian rebels would include small arms and ammunition, including anti-tank weapons but not anti-aircraft weapons, The New York Times reported, citing unnamed American officials.
Military experts have long warned that a no-fly zone would require Western jets to destroy the regime's relatively good air defenses.
But US planners, according to the Journal, believe this no-fly zone could be imposed in about a month without having to destroy the Syrian anti-aircraft batteries.
It could also be imposed without a UN Security Council resolution because US warplanes would not regularly enter Syrian airspace, and the US military would not be holding Syrian territory.
A no-fly zone is necessary to set up a camp to train rebels, officials said.
"Unless you have a good buffer zone inside Syria, you risk too much," an unnamed US official briefed on the military proposal told the Journal.
This limited no-fly zone would cost about $50 million (37 million euros) a day, far less than a Syria-wide no-fly zone. US officials reportedly hope that Washington's allies could help cover the cost.
The US planes would fly from Jordan -- where US Patriot missiles and F-16 jet fighters have already been deployed -- and from navy ships in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the Journal reported.
In Washington, Republican Senator John McCain has led the charge in Congress for a no-fly zone, saying Syria's rebels will never have a chance against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces unless his jets are neutralized.
"We can establish a no-fly zone without sending a single manned airplane over Syria... and we can change this equation on the battlefield," McCain said Thursday.
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