A US Senate committee had passed a bill that, if signed for the Obama administration, would allow to supply arms to Syrian opposition.

A US Senate committee had passed a bill that, if signed for the Obama administration, would allow to supply arms to Syrian opposition — a move that could threaten the entire region if these weapons end up in terrorist cells and al-Nusra Front insurgents operating on the ground.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations 15-3 vote showed bipartisan support among US politicians for arming the gunmen.

It remains uncertain if the full Senate will vote on the legislation that calls to “provide defense articles, defense services, and military training” directly to the opposition on the ground who “have been properly and fully vetted and share common values and interests with the United States.”

The language of the proposed legislature is vague but suggests the sale of small arms specifying that “no anti-aircraft defensive systems” would be provided.

Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky has voted against the bill, warning “You will be funding today the allies of al Qaeda,” Paul said adding “It is an irony you cannot overcome,” quotes the Washington Times.

New Jersey democrat and co-author of the bill, Senator Robert Menenedez addressed such concerns and stressed that the proposed bill has in place a “tough vetting mechanism” to prevent terrorist from obtaining US arms. "Vital national interests are at stake and we cannot watch from the sidelines," Menenedez concluded.

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors of orchestrating the conflict, by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.