CIA Begins Delivering Arms to Syrian Rebels

On Brink of Diplomatic Deal, US Steps Up Weapons Delivery

Having lost the battle for a Congressional authorization for war and now facing a Russian offer of Syrian disarmament as an alternative, all the public signs are that diplomacy is threatening to break out with Syria, and there will be no international intervention.

Behind the scenes, US meddling continues apace in Syria’s civil war, and the CIA has now begun delivering lethal weapons and combat vehicles to rebel factions in hope of turning the tide of the conflict in favor of more nominally pro-US factions.

The US has been threatening the move for months, and has been engaged in intensive training of rebel fighters in neighboring Jordan. The fighters have reportedly begun to cross into Syria, with an eye on attacking the capital city of Damascus.

The State Department has presented the arms as a way to improve not only the fighting ability of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), but its stability as well. The reality, however, is that much of the rebellion remains opposed to the FSA, and that faction will be either buying the loyalty of al-Qaeda fighters with US arms, or fighting against them.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.