"
A top Syrian rebel commander has issued a desperate plea for weapons
from Western governments to prevent the fall of his forces in Aleppo,
pushing the Obama administration to decide quickly whether to agree to
arm rebels for the first time or risk the loss of another rebel
stronghold just days after the regime’s biggest victory.
Gen. Salim Idris, the top Syrian rebel
commander backed by the West, issued a detailed request in recent days
to the U.S., France and Britain for antitank missiles, antiaircraft
weapons and hundreds of thousands of ammunition rounds, according to
U.S. and European officials and Mr. Idris’s request to the Americans, a
copy of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal."