Amman: Saudi Arabia has reportedly offered to supply Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft missiles. Meanwhile Russia has accused the US of once again hijacking the peace talks between Syrian government and the opposition.
Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles and Chinese man-portable air-defence systems are already waiting in warehouses in Jordan and Turkey. An Arab diplomat told a media agency that the supplies are likely to tip the battlefield scales, as the rebels will become capable of taking on the government’s air power and destroying heavy armoured vehicles.
Leaders of the Syrian opposition say they don’t yet know the total amount of military aid that will be shipped. The new weapons are expected to reach southern Syria from Jordan while the opposition in the north will get arms from Turkey, the Western diplomat said.
According to the media report, rebel commanders struck a deal on the new armaments shipment during a meeting with US and Saudi intelligence agents in Jordan on January 30. During that meeting, rebels allegedly claimed that their new military gains would help force official Damascus consider President Assad’s ouster and bring forward a political solution to the conflict.