“Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday admitted for the first time that the Pentagon had backed proposals to arm the Syrian opposition battling to oust President Bashar al-Assad. The idea was first floated by former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who met privately with David Petraeus, then CIA chief, in the summer of 2012 as the fighting raged in Syria. They proposed vetting rebel groups and training fighters in a plan which they presented to the White House, according to the New York Times, citing administration officials.”
