Syrian rebels to get Russian anti-aircraft missiles

Rebels reportedly acquire the Russian Osa ("Wasp") anti-air system • CBS News reports that the CIA has been involved in training Syrian opposition forces since last year • Russia reaffirms its commitment to selling Syrian regime the S-300 missile system.

Reuters, Daniel Siryoti, Yoni Hirsch, Eli Leon and Israel Hayom Staff

The Friends of Syria group greenlights arming the rebels while U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visits Qatar  |  Photo credit: Reuters

Ministers from the 11 countries in the Friends of Syria group agreed on Saturday "to urgently provide all the necessary material and equipment to the [Syrian] opposition on the ground, each country in its own way, in order to enable them to counter brutal attacks by the regime and its allies."

At the same time, Russia reaffirmed its commitment to sell the advanced S-300 air defense system to the Syrian regime. The prospect of bringing the two sides to reconciliation at a Geneva conference now looks ever less likely.

The Friends of Syria group comprises the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey. Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani said that some of the decisions made during the meeting would remain undisclosed, to give the Syrian opposition the ability to arm itself.

The Qatari leader was reportedly hinting at an anti-air missile system the rebels recently received. According to a report from Al-Arabiya, the rebels recently acquired the Russian Osa ("Wasp") anti-aircraft battery, whose missiles can hit low-flying aircraft attempting to avoid radar.

The ministers decided to transfer the weapons only through the Free Syrian Army, in an attempt to prevent them from reaching the hands of Sunni jihadists. They also condemned "the intervention of Hezbollah militia and fighters from Iran and Iraq," demanding that they withdraw immediately.

Meanwhile, CBS News reported that the CIA has been involved in training Syrian opposition forces since last year. The training reportedly took place in secret facilities in Turkey and Jordan, and included the use of anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons. Rebels in Jordan denied the reports Saturday night. Meanwhile, 900 U.S. troops remained in Jordan after a large joint military exercise between the countries.

Damascus issued a complaint to the U.N. Security Council that "Turkey, France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are arming the terrorists" operating in Syria. Syria often refers to the opposition as terrorists.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last Thursday that Russia would honor its agreement to sell the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Syria.

Israel has repeatedly attempted to get Russia to back down from the sale, fearing the advanced system would end up in Hezbollah's hands and threaten Israeli airspace.

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