Some urge aiding Syrian rebel forces

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Military support for the rebel Free Syrian Army may be the best way of toppling the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, diplomats and analysts say.

With a deadlock at the United Nations, Western and Arab officials are hoping that a campaign of attrition will wear down regular Syrian forces and eventually undermine Assad, the Christian Science Monitor reported Wednesday.

"I understand the moral outrage that has led some to demand military intervention," said analyst Andrew Exum of the Center for a New American Security in Washington. "But few simple military solutions present themselves."

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, has recommended supplying weapons and necessary backing to the Syrian opposition.

And there are rumors the tiny gulf state of Qatar may already be supplying funds and weapons to the Free Syrian Army, the newspaper reported.

Tuesday six gulf Arab state said they were withdrawing their representatives from Syria and expelling Syrian ambassadors from their capitals.