The talks in Geneva come amidst news the CIA has begun delivering weapons to Syrian rebels. In what The Washington Post calls “a major escalation of the U.S. role in Syria’s civil war,” light weapons and other munitions began arriving two weeks ago through Turkey and Jordan after several months of delay. The weapons had apparently been stalled over concerns they would end up in the hands of al-Qaeda-linked rebels, but those concerns appear to have abated since President Obama threatened to use force in response to last month’s chemical attack in Ghouta. The current shipments are going to the Supreme Military Council, a rebel force under the command of General Salim Idris. The State Department has also shipped non-lethal assistance to the rebels including vehicles and communications gear.