U.S. Senator John McCain released the following statement on the grave situation on the ground in Syria, following a phone call today with General Salem Idriss, the chief of staff of the Supreme Military Council of the Syrian opposition:
“I just received an urgent phone call from General Salem Idriss, the chief of staff of the Supreme Military Council of the Syrian opposition. He is gravely concerned about conditions on the ground in Syria, which are deteriorating severely.
“Following Hezbollah’s victory this week in the strategic city of Qusayr, its fighters are spreading across the country. They are now, according to General Idriss, fighting around other strategically important cities, such as Hama, Deir el-Zour, Aleppo, and Damascus. Iranian operatives and Iraqi Shia militants are aiding Hezbollah in its invasion of Syria, and Assad is using the full weight of his air power to devastate civilian populations. Wounded Syrians are trapped in Qusayr and other cities under siege. The humanitarian situation in Syria has never been more dire, and moderate opposition forces under General Idriss are losing ground.
“General Idriss told me that the Free Syrian Army units under his command desperately need ammunition and heavier weapons to counter Assad’s tanks, artillery, and air power. He also pleaded for the United States to lead an international coalition to destroy Assad’s air power and ballistic missiles. This can be done, as I have said many times, using stand-off weapons, such as cruise missiles.
“General Idriss and his fighters share many of our interests and values. They are fighting our common enemies every day in Syria. They are our best hope for a moderate Syria free from Assad, Iran, and al-Qaeda. But right now, that hope is endangered in the face of a growing onslaught by Assad, Hezbollah, and Iran, with significant Russian backing. If these extremist forces succeed, it will be an enormous setback for U.S. national security interests and a stain on the reputation of the United States.
“The Obama Administration has said it supports General Idriss and his fighters. Now is the time for them to prove it. If they delay any further, it will be too late.”