WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, sources familiar with the matter said.

Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding," broadly permits the CIA and other U.S. agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad.

This and other developments signal a shift toward growing, albeit still circumscribed, support for Assad's armed opponents - a shift that intensified following last month's failure of the U.N. Security Council to agree on tougher sanctions against the Damascus government.

The White House is for now apparently stopping short of giving the rebels lethal weapons, even as some U.S. allies do just that.

But U.S. and European officials have said that there have been noticeable improvements in the coherence and effectiveness of Syrian rebel groups in the past few weeks. That represents a significant change in assessments of the rebels by Western officials, who previously characterized Assad's opponents as a disorganized, almost chaotic, rabble.

Precisely when Obama signed the secret intelligence authorization, an action not previously reported, could not be determined.

The full extent of clandestine support that agencies like the CIA might be providing also is unclear.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor declined comment.

'NERVE CENTER'

A U.S. government source acknowledged that under provisions of the presidential finding, the United States was collaborating with a secret command center operated by Turkey and its allies.

Last week, Reuters reported that, along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Turkey had established a secret base near the Syrian border to help direct vital military and communications support to Assad's opponents.

This "nerve center" is in Adana, a city in southern Turkey about 60 miles from the Syrian border, which is also home to Incirlik, a U.S. air base where U.S. military and intelligence agencies maintain a substantial presence.

Turkey's moderate Islamist government has been demanding Assad's departure with growing vehemence. Turkish authorities are said by current and former U.S. government officials to be increasingly involved in providing Syrian rebels with training and possibly equipment.

European government sources said wealthy families in Saudi Arabia and Qatar were providing significant financing to the rebels. Senior officials of the Saudi and Qatari governments have publicly called for Assad's departure.

On Tuesday, NBC News reported that the Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen surface-to-air missiles, weapons that could be used against Assad's helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Syrian government armed forces have employed such air power more extensively in recent days.

NBC said the shoulder-fired missiles, also known as MANPADs, had been delivered to the rebels via Turkey.

On Wednesday, however, Bassam al-Dada, a political adviser to the Free Syrian Army, denied the NBC report, telling the Arabic-language TV network Al-Arabiya that the group had "not obtained any such weapons at all." U.S. government sources said they could not confirm the MANPADs deliveries, but could not rule them out either.

Current and former U.S. and European officials previously said that weapons supplies, which were being organized and financed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, were largely limited to guns and a limited number of anti-tank weapons, such as bazookas.

Indications are that U.S. agencies have not been involved in providing weapons to Assad's opponents. In order to do so, Obama would have to approve a supplement, known as a "memorandum of notification, to his initial broad intelligence finding.

Further such memoranda would have to be signed by Obama to authorize other specific clandestine operations to support Syrian rebels.

Reuters first reported last week that the White House had crafted a directive authorizing greater U.S. covert assistance to Syrian rebels. It was unclear at that time whether Obama had signed it.

OVERT SUPPORT

Separately from the president's secret order, the Obama administration has stated publicly that it is providing some backing for Assad's opponents.

The State Department said on Wednesday the U.S. government had set aside a total of $25 million for "non-lethal" assistance to the Syrian opposition. A U.S. official said that was mostly for communications equipment, including encrypted radios.

The State Department also says the United States has set aside $64 million in humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people, including contributions to the World Food Program, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other aid agencies.

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury confirmed it had granted authorization to the Syrian Support Group, Washington representative of one of the most active rebel factions, the Free Syrian Army, to conduct financial transactions on the rebel group's behalf. The authorization was first reported on Friday by Al-Monitor, a Middle East news and commentary website.

Last year, when rebels began organizing themselves to challenge the rule of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Obama also signed an initial "finding" broadly authorizing secret U.S. backing for them. But the president moved cautiously in authorizing specific measures to support them.

Some U.S. lawmakers, such as Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have criticized Obama for moving too slowly to assist the rebels and have suggested the U.S. government become directly involved in arming Assad's opponents.

Other lawmakers have suggested caution, saying too little is known about the many rebel groups.

Recent news reports from the region have suggested that the influence and numbers of Islamist militants, some of them connected to al Qaeda or its affiliates, have been growing among Assad's opponents.

U.S. and European officials say that, so far, intelligence agencies do not believe the militants' role in the anti-Assad opposition is dominant.

While U.S. and allied government experts believe that the Syrian rebels have been making some progress against Assad's forces lately, most believe the conflict is nowhere near resolution, and could go on for years.

(Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Warren Strobel and Peter Cooney)

Ouze wrote:Well, not always. When we gave the rebels on Endor land speeders, it worked out reasonably well.

But otherwise, yeah; I wonder what the administration knows that we don't to assume we're not just putting more weapons in the hands of tomorrows OBL.

youbedead wrote:

Ouze wrote:Well, not always. When we gave the rebels on Endor land speeders, it worked out reasonably well.

But otherwise, yeah; I wonder what the administration knows that we don't to assume we're not just putting more weapons in the hands of tomorrows OBL.

Yeah, but syria is right next to Israel and if we ever have any issues I'm sure the isreali's would be more then happy to intervene.

I still think Israel should just support the rebels, if they win then maybe their relationship improves, and if they lose its not like they can damage their relationship any more then it already is

Mr Nobody wrote:Every time the American government supplies rebels with weapons, it just ends up making things worse later.

Frazzled wrote:

youbedead wrote:

Ouze wrote:Well, not always. When we gave the rebels on Endor land speeders, it worked out reasonably well.

But otherwise, yeah; I wonder what the administration knows that we don't to assume we're not just putting more weapons in the hands of tomorrows OBL.

Yeah, but syria is right next to Israel and if we ever have any issues I'm sure the isreali's would be more then happy to intervene.

I still think Israel should just support the rebels, if they win then maybe their relationship improves, and if they lose its not like they can damage their relationship any more then it already is

Sure it can. There are Islamist elements in the rebel group (which is why we shouldn't be doing anything except sitting on the sideline). Its better to have a dictatorship next to you than the next Taliban crazy state.

Mannahnin wrote:

Frazzled wrote:

youbedead wrote:

Ouze wrote:Well, not always. When we gave the rebels on Endor land speeders, it worked out reasonably well.

But otherwise, yeah; I wonder what the administration knows that we don't to assume we're not just putting more weapons in the hands of tomorrows OBL.

Yeah, but syria is right next to Israel and if we ever have any issues I'm sure the isreali's would be more then happy to intervene.

I still think Israel should just support the rebels, if they win then maybe their relationship improves, and if they lose its not like they can damage their relationship any more then it already is

Sure it can. There are Islamist elements in the rebel group (which is why we shouldn't be doing anything except sitting on the sideline). Its better to have a dictatorship next to you than the next Taliban crazy state.

Well, Turkey is a little bit Islamist, but mostly pretty secular, and they're okay.

The danger, of course, is the hardline bastards. Which is exactly the reason we haven't been supplying the FSA with weapons.

I heard an interview on NPR last night with a journalist who was in Syria for a while and says there are a bunch of Al Qaeda guys in Syria now, helping the rebels. The FSA doesn't want to acknowledge them or allow them any authority, because they don't want psycho Islamists to take over, and because they know it'll look terrible to the west. OTOH, they feel like they can't refuse AQ's help, because those guys have some experienced and trained fighters, with access to some better weapons, and IED/explosives materials and technologies they can really use against Assad's troops. And because we haven't been supplying the rebels, that's another reason they feel like they have to use the AQ assistance.

Ouze wrote:Yeah, I was reading this on CNN earlier and thinking... I better not tell anyone.

So, quiet, guys.

KingCracker wrote: God, how fething true that is. I love my country, I just fething hate the people running it

mattyrm wrote:

KingCracker wrote: God, how fething true that is. I love my country, I just fething hate the people running it

Ah my American cousins.. you always say that. Nonsense say I! Allow Matty to educate you!

You cant "love" a country, its just soil and rocks.

Frazzled wrote:

mattyrm wrote:

KingCracker wrote: God, how fething true that is. I love my country, I just fething hate the people running it

Ah my American cousins.. you always say that. Nonsense say I! Allow Matty to educate you!

You cant "love" a country, its just soil and rocks.

Sure I can. I like rocks and a nice view more than 99.9999% of people I've ever met. I like hamsters more than rocks. I like dogs more than hamsters. Hey if you had Yellowstone instead of "damp" you'd agree.

Are you talking about me? I hate deserts with a passion. Thge only good thing to come out of a desert is coming out of a desert.
As I live in two locations - neither is accurate.

Squigsquasher wrote:So the US president has been helping people fight a cruel and oppressive dictatorship?

OMG, END OF THE WURLD!!!

Seriously, how is that bad?