MESOP NEWS : A VISIT IN WASHINGTON – FACING HOMS

Bloomberg News contextualized the events alongside renewed calls for Western military assistance to rebel elements, opening its write-up by noting that “[w]hile U.S.-backed Syrian opposition leaders in Washington are lobbying for better weapons, the Syrian government has forced rebels to abandon the city of Homs.” Rebel chief Ahmad Jarba announced Tuesday night that he would specifically request anti-aircraft missiles to counter what seems to be a deliberate move by Syrian forces to heighten the use of barrel bombs against rebel-heavy areas.

The use of the shrapnel-packed helicopter-deployed IEDs has been criticized as a war crime by Western leaders, but the rebels have not been able to field a battlefield answer to the Syrian Air Force. The New York Times noted that Jarba’s call came as Assad “appears to have gained the upper hand in the civil war and President Obama has continued to express wariness about becoming more deeply involved.” Al-Hayat Washington Bureau Chief Joyce Karam on Wednesday conveyed statements from Syrian opposition groups noting that “Assad is still receiving arms from Iran via Iraq[i] airspace.” The Obama administration this week announced that it was recognizing the main opposition group’s office as a diplomatic foreign mission and increasing its non-lethal assistance by $27 million.