In a new indication of US ultimate support to Syria armed groups, US Secretary of State John Kerry claimed that Syria militants can help push back "jihadists" in Iraq.
Kerry's statement came during a meeting with opposition leader Ahmad Jarba in Saudi Arabia.
Kerry's short visit to Jeddah came as the United States confirmed it was flying armed drones over Baghdad.
The top US diplomat, who landed in the Red Sea city of Jeddah in the afternoon, also met Saudi King Abdullah a day after hosting urgent talks in Paris with the Saudi, Jordanian and UAE foreign ministers on the widening crisis in Iraq and Syria.
Following several signals in recent weeks by US President Barack Obama's administration, the White House Thursday asked for $500 million from Congress to train and equip Syria's militants.
Ahmad Jarba, leader of the so-called "Syrian National Coalition", welcomed the huge US boost to his forces.
Jarba told Kerry that the worsening situation meant more effort would be needed by both Washington and Riyadh, as well as others, to address the situation in Iraq, whose border with Syria he said was now "practically open."
Kerry claimed that "the "moderate" opposition in Syria ... has the ability to be a very important player in pushing back against the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" [ISIL]presence ... not just in Syria, but also in Iraq."
Kerry met King Abdullah at his palace in Jeddah, where the US delegation was ushered into the large marble-columned lobby of the palace. The king, who is over 90, spoke clearly in Arabic but did not get up when Kerry entered the large room.
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