Syrian rebel chief pleads for weapons

BEIRUT (AP) — The chief of Syrian rebel forces says his fighters are in "desperate" need of weapons rather than food supplies and bandages that the U.S. now plans to provide.

The Obama administration says it will — for the first time — provide non-lethal aid directly to rebels, and announced an additional $60 million in assistance to the political opposition fighting to topple President Bashar Assad's regime.

But Gen. Salim Idris, chief of staff of the Syrian opposition's Supreme Military Council, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Friday that the modest package of aid to rebels — comprising an undetermined amount of food rations and medical supplies — will not help them win against Assad's forces who have superior air power.

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