The Obama administration, stung by reversals in Ukraine and Syria, appears to have decided to expand its covert program of training and assistance for the Syrian opposition, deepening U.S. involvement in that brutal and stalemated civil war.
U.S. endorsement of the program would tighten Americas links with Saudi Arabia after a period of noisy disagreement about Syria policy.
But it also would complicate already tense relations with Russia and Iran, the two key backers of Bashar al-Assad.