McCain calls for White House to take action in Syria before it’s ‘too late’

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said on Saturday that the conditions in Syria are “deteriorating severely” following a phone call with opposition officials in the country, and urged President Obama to act.

{mosads}The chief of staff of the Supreme Military Council of the Syrian opposition, General Salem Idriss, placed an urgent call to the senator, McCain said in a statement.

“He is gravely concerned about conditions on the ground in Syria, which are deteriorating severely,” said the senator, listing the challenges posed by the resurgence of outside fighters and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s army.

Recent reports show that fighting has continued to escalate in the country’s civil war and now Assad’s allies – fighters from Russia, Iran and Hezbollah – have joined in the battle, severely weakening the rebel opposition.

“Wounded Syrians are trapped in Qusayr and other cities under siege. The humanitarian situation in Syria has never been more dire, and moderate opposition forces under General Idriss are losing ground,” McCain continued.

The White House has said that all options remain on the table for U.S. involvement in Syria, but has stopped short of actually recommending armed intervention.

“The Obama Administration has said it supports General Idriss and his fighters,” the Arizona senator and war veteran said. “Now is the time for them to prove it. If they delay any further, it will be too late.”