Saudi Arabia increasing weapon supplies to Syrian rebels following Russian airstrikes – report
RT.com
9 Oct, 2015
Saudi Arabia has stepped up its weapon supplies to three different rebel groups in Syria following Russian airstrikes, a government official told the BBC. It comes after Moscow launched its Air Force anti-terror operation at the request of Assad’s government.
Rebel groups fighting the Syrian Army will receive an increase in modern, high-powered weaponry, including guided anti-tank weapons, a “well-placed” Saudi official told the BBC on condition of anonymity.
He said the recipients include Jaish al-Fatah (Army of Conquest), the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and the Southern Front. The official stressed that Islamic State (formerly ISIS/ISIL) and the al-Nusra Front would not be receiving any weapons.
The official did not rule out the possibility of supplying surface-to-air missiles to the rebels, which many in the West fear would fall into the hands of ISIS militants and be used to shoot down warplanes of the US-led coalition or civilian aircraft.
Meanwhile, a separate Gulf Arab official has expressed fear that Russia’s military intervention in Syria will prompt a new jihad, or holy war.
The official told journalists that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was warned by Arab diplomats during last week’s UN General Assembly that Moscow’s actions in Syria were creating “Frankenstein’s monster,” which will draw in jihadists aiming to “liberate” Syria of Russians, Iranians, and Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon.
However, the official admitted that neither the West nor Gulf Arab states have a strategy for resolving the bloody conflict, which has been taking place for more than four years and has led to the deaths of over 250,000 people.
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