Already outgunned and outmanned in Syria's civil war, U.S.-backed rebels are facing a new and possibly even more serious threat to their survival: Russian airstrikes that Washington appears reluctant to thwart.
The Obama administration — blindsided by the speed of Moscow's direct intervention and a Russian target list that included CIA-trained fighters — made clear on Thursday that it had no desire to increase the risk of an air clash between the former Cold War foes.
While Washington took pains to insist it still considered the "moderate" opposition vital to Syria's future and was not abandoning them, withholding U.S. air cover could further jeopardize beleaguered rebel forces.