WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama came under mounting pressure on Thursday to act more forcefully in the Syria crisis with Bill Clinton offering a sharp critique of his policy, even as the White House signalled a growing urgency in deliberations on arming increasingly desperate Syrian rebels.
Clinton's call for deeper U.S. engagement in Syria's civil war put the Obama administration on the defensive just a day before Western envoys are expected to hear rebel pleas for weapons in the face of setbacks to President Bashar al-Assad's forces and his Lebanese Hezbollah allies.