US Weapons to Syrian Rebels
After claims that US supplies to Syrian rebels are merely non-lethal, US officials admitted Saturday that Washington is an inch from starting shipping arms to the opposition in Syria.
According to US officials, the US President Barak Obama administration is preparing a plan that would essentially give US nods of approval to arms transfers from Arab nations to some Syrian opposition fighters.
The effort, US officials told the Associated Press, "would vet members of the so-called "Free Syrian Army" and other groups to determine whether they are suitable recipients of munitions...and to ensure that weapons don't wind up in the hands of al-Qaida or other groups such as Hizbullah that could target "Israel"."
Some US intelligence analysts worry that there may be no suitable recipients of their lethal aid.
US officials, most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, because of the sensitive nature of the subject, stressed their country is not supplying military assistance to rebels.
Some Arab US allies, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have been less hesitant and openly said they would fund the purchase of arms for the Syrian opposition. The weapons may even be directly supplied by the Gulf monarchies' governments rather than bought on the black market, recent media reports imply.
Some of the ammo crates onboard the Lutfullah II ship, which the Lebanese navy intercepted last month, are explicitly marked "Qatari Army".
By some accounts, those nations already have begun to ship weapons with tacit US agreement. In Turkey, private businessmen have begun funneling weapons into Syria.
Source: AP, Edited by moqawama.org
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