'Arming Syria's rebels: "Slow & temporary"

"... (Reuters) - U.S. plans to arm Syrian rebels passed one congressional hurdle but may face more when funding runs out in two months, further delaying the flow of weapons, U.S. officials and other sources said...But a U.S. official involved in the issue said funding for the classified program runs out on September 30, the end of the government's fiscal year. That means the White House will again have to seek Congress' blessing for arming the rebels, the official said, possibly setting up a renewed confrontation over Washington's policy in the Syrian civil war....
Sources close to the Syrian rebels said they fear the American arms delivery will be a drawn-out process in which they get a modest amount of arms in an initial tranche, and congressional committees will have to approve more later.
Despite their approval of the White House plan, several U.S. lawmakers expressed doubts on Tuesday that increased American support will be enough to help rebels turn the war's tide, which has shifted sharply to Assad's Iranian-backed forces.
There is also deep concern that the arms could end up in the hands of radical Islamist fighters who are among the rebels' strongest factions.
"Increasingly, I believe senators on both sides of the aisle want more information about what the end game is here," said Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat like President Barack Obama...."