The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has advanced a bipartisan measure to arm rebels battling the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The vote marks the first time U.S. lawmakers have formally backed the direct arming of the Syrian opposition. Fifteen senators voted in favor of the measure, while three voted against — Democratic Senators Tom Udall of New Mexico and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Paul criticized the measure by saying: “You will be funding the allies of al-Qaeda. It’s an irony you cannot overcome.”