Why not fly some weapons to Ayman al-Zawahiri in Pakistan? I’m sure he could use them.

WASHINGTON – The senior Democrat on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee is pushing President Barack Obama’s administration to train and arm some Syrian rebels, in addition to providing humanitarian assistance.

Representative Eliot Engel will introduce a bill on Monday that would authorize Washington to provide assistance “including limited lethal equipment” to carefully vetted members of the Syrian opposition, aides and activists aware of Engel’s plans said on Sunday.

Washington has pledged non-lethal aid to Syria’s rebels, but Obama has so far refused to give them arms, arguing that it is difficult to prevent the weapons from falling into the hands of militants who could use them against Western targets.

The push by Engel, a New York Democrat, which comes days before Obama is due to visit the Middle East, could strengthen the resolve of some US legislators to do more to end the bloodshed in Syria.

A handful of Republican legislators, including Senators John McCain and Marco Rubio, have been pressing for various forms of US military aid to the rebels.