Reuters reports that President Obama has signed a secret order allowing the U.S. to provide support to Syrian opposition forces in their fight agains Bashar al-Assad's government. More:

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 order stops just short of having the U.S. give rebels weapons.