"There's got to be something more than throwing weapons and suitcases of money,"

"... "If the Americans refuse to give us anti-aircraft (missiles), for example, why doesn't Saudi give it to us?" a Syrian rebel commander in Aleppo whose brigade fights alongside the extremist al-Nusra Front told Reuters by Skype.In private, American and Saudi officials defend a relationship that in many ways remains strong and broad-based...."The frustration with the Saudis was that they never gave us a plan," a former senior U.S. diplomat who worked in the region told Reuters. The former diplomat said there had to be a strategy that included pulling the opposition together into a political and military union dominated by moderates, while arm-twisting Assad's main backers in the Security Council: Russia and China. "There's got to be something more than throwing weapons and suitcases of money," the former diplomat said....."We want the Americans to use their Tomahawks and F16s and beat the hell out of Bashar al-Assad. But at the same time I can see the Americans saying to the Saudis 'You guys have F15s too'," said Jamal Khashoggi, head of a Saudi television news channel owned by a nephew of King Abdullah....Still, cooperation has improved in recent months, American officials believe, and U.S.-made rockets have started to appear on the battlefield. One reason for the better atmosphere between the allies may be the departure from office this year of intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who was running Saudi policy on Syria. His abrasive manner and sometimes erratic way of working caused friction with the Americans. However, Washington still wants more openness on the Saudi side, said a diplomatic source in the Gulf, one of several interviewed for this article.But the source added that the Saudis still felt left out on a limb by last year's non-strike. "They see brush fires all around them and are concerned Washington is not doing more to help the Syrian opposition," the diplomatic source said....."