Three senators on Tuesday urged President Barack Obama to take decisive action sooner rather than later in deciding to arm the Syrian rebels who are seeking to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad.
The bipartisan group of senators included Democrats Carl Levin of Michigan and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, as well as Arizona Republican John McCain.
"The United States must take more decisive military actions in Syria to change the balance of power on the ground against Assad," the letter said. "Last month, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted, with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, to authorize robust lethal assistance to vetted opposition units in Syria. We urge you to take this essential step."
Last week, the White House said it had concluded that the Assad government is using chemical weapons to put down the nation's rebel uprising. As a result, the White House said the U.S. will provide direct military aid to the rebels.
The United Nations has revised its death toll figures on the Syrian uprising to more than 90,000 killed as of the end of March, with weekly deaths having escalated to about 5,000.
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