Let's get real. The Syrian conflict is a war, not a French-knitting circle - so it's absurd to claim that any help for the rebels somehow is ''non-lethal'' and, by implication, that the donor country is not a participant in the war.

The tens of millions of dollars worth of ''non-lethal'' aid confirmed this week as coming from Washington and London frees up tens of millions in cash donations from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf for lethal purchases. News that the US President, Barack Obama, has authorised unspecified assistance from the CIA can serve only to sharpen rebel shooting.