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300 word edit from my soon-to-be-nuked/frozen thread:

President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, U.S. sources familiar with the matter said.

...officials have said that there have been noticeable improvements in the coherence and effectiveness of Syrian rebel groups in the past few weeks ... previously characterized Assad’s opponents as a disorganized, almost chaotic, rabble.

‘NERVE CENTER’

...[A]long with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Turkey had established a secret base ... in Adana, a city in southern Turkey about 60 miles from the Syrian border, which is also home to Incirlik, a U.S. air base where U.S. military and intelligence agencies maintain a substantial presence.

NBC News reported that the Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen surface-to-air missiles, weapons that could be used against Assad’s ... aircraft. Syrian ... forces have employed such air power more extensively in recent days.

U.S. government sources said they could not confirm the MANPADs deliveries, but could not rule them out either.

... memoranda would have to be signed by Obama to authorize other specific clandestine operations to support Syrian rebels.

OVERT SUPPORT

The State Department said ... the U.S. government had set aside a total of $25 million for “non-lethal” assistance to the Syrian opposition. A U.S. official said that was mostly for communications equipment, including encrypted radios.

Some U.S. lawmakers, such as Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have criticized Obama for moving too slowly to assist the rebels and have suggested the U.S. government become directly involved in arming Assad’s opponents.

While U.S. and allied government experts believe that the Syrian rebels have been making some progress against Assad’s forces lately, most believe the conflict ... could go on for years.