LEXINGTON, Va. – Mitt Romney declared Monday the U.S. must join other nations in helping arm Syrian rebels to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad, casting President Barack Obama’s efforts as weak and part of a broader lack of leadership in the Middle East and around the globe.

Hoping to bolster his own foreign policy credentials, the Republican presidential challenger said he would identify and organize those in the Syrian opposition who share American values, then work with American allies to “ensure they obtain the arms they need to defeat Assad’s tanks, helicopters and fighter jets.”

“It is essential that we develop influence with those forces in Syria that will one day lead a country that sits at the heart of the Middle East,” Romney said.