Syrien

[Shahab3]

New Saudi-supplied missiles boost rebels in south Syria
AMMAN | Thu Aug 15, 2013 11:45am EDT

(Reuters) - Rebels in southern Syria have fired newly acquired anti-tank guided missiles supplied by Saudi Arabia in a significant boost to their battle against President Bashar al-Assad, rebel, intelligence and diplomatic sources say.
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Rebels and military experts say the Konkurs, with a range of four km (2.5 miles), offers a strategic edge over Assad's better equipped forces which rely on hundreds of Russian T-72 tanks and older models to launch ground attacks and control cities.

Other experts say rebel fortunes could be tied to how many more portable missile systems the rebels can get in the coming months, such as the Konkurs, Kornet anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) and Red Arrow 8 missiles.

"If the weapons arrive in the right quantities they will affect the situation on the ground," said retired Jordanian general Fayez al Dwiri.

The Saudi-financed missile shipments arrived in the last few weeks through Jordan after months of quiet Saudi pressure to prod Amman to open a supply route.

Jordanian officials privately say they are caught between appeasing the Saudis and the danger of reprisals by Assad, who earlier this year warned Amman it "would be playing with fire" if it supported rebels.
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experts say there are signs that recent deliveries may be the start of a major supply line to southern Syria led by Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally and foremost of several regional Sunni Muslim powers backing the mainly Sunni rebels against Assad, whose Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.
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Die "syrischen Rebellen" in Jordanian werden von US Ausbildern in unweit der Grenze gelegenen Terrorcamps geschult. Unter den Ausbildern befinden sich aber auch Mitglieder der jordanischen Streitkräfte und auch einige Briten sollen vorort sein. Zur Sicherung dieser Einrichtungen wurde vor einigen Wochen US Kriegsgerät (u.a. PAC) und über 1000 Mann rangekarrt.