Syria has started moving chemical weapons materials out of the country as part of the disarmament programme, which has faced technical problems.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman has indicated that the grant is likely to be spent partly on weapons from France as a counterweight to Hezbollah.
An expected US-led strike on Syria has not only put government forces on alert, it has also alarmed Islamist rebels – who worry they too are targets.
Twelve people were killed when an explosion rocked a government-held district of the disputed Syrian city of Aleppo, a monitoring group said.
Rebel forces have attacked Damascus while Turkey deployed anti-aircraft rocket launchers to the Syrian border, building pressure on Bashar al-Assad.
UN monitors say the smell of burnt flesh hung in the air and body parts lay scattered around the deserted Syrian hamlet of Mazraat al-Qubeir.
Syria has told Arab League envoy Kofi Annan that it has begun pulling troops in line with a peace plan accepted by President Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian government kept up its onslaught on Homs and other towns, with at least 100 killed according to human rights campaigners.
Syria will hold a referendum on a draft Constitution on February 26 that limits the presidency to two seven-year terms and allows multiple parties.
Syrian government forces have attacked President Bashar al-Assad opponents on several fronts, sending residents fleeing from a town near the capital.