US May Be Arming Syrian Rebels
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Syrian rebels have been photographed with advanced anti-aircraft missiles, which some reports say have been supplied by the Obama administration. On Tuesday, reports said some of those weapons had fallen into the hands of rebels along the Israeli border.
Fighting in Syrian has already spilled over Israel's border along the Golan Heights, apparently sometimes unintentionally and sometimes intentionally, often prompting a quick response from Israel.
Israel's Debkafile reported Monday that the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian Revolutionary Front have already received some advanced weaponry.
According to a report last month in the Wall Street Journal, Saudi King Abdullah and President Obama discussed increased support for rebel forces battling President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Obama reportedly agreed to supply shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles to the more moderate factions of the Syrian opposition.
"Senior U.S. officials said their goal is to provide assistance to moderate Syrian rebels not just as a 'counterweight' to the Assad regime, but also to extremist elements of the opposition," the report stated.
Over the weekend, a blogger posted screenshots from YouTube videos showing rebel fighters holding U.S.-manufactured anti-tank missiles.
And on Monday afternoon, White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters, "We are going to continue to press in every way we can to assist the Syrian people. We are constantly doing is reviewing and assessing what else we can do."
