Israel Continues Arming Terrorists in Syria via Turkey
(FNA)- Syrian terrorists have received new cargos of Israeli weapons via Turkey last week, media reports revealed on Wednesday, adding that the funds needed for supplying the huge cargos, which were transferred from Syria to Turkey on three Israeli planes, had been provided by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
According to a report by al Manar Palestine website, Israel is still smuggling weapons to terrorist and rebel groups in Syria.
The report said that the three Israeli planes shipped the weapons cargos to an area in Turkey 60km near the borders with Syria.
The report added that arms smuggling to Syrian terrorist groups came after Qatari intelligence elements and the head of Qatar's intelligence service had held secret talks in Tel Aviv.
The website quoted unknown sources as saying that Israeli military experts and trainers are also stationed at the Turkey-Syria borders to supervise the operations for delivering the arms cargos to terrorists and to teach them how to use the advanced weapons and communications systems.
Earlier, the US media revealed that the CIA is helping to vet Syrian rebel groups for arms shipments paid for by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
According to a June 24 report by The New York Times, the CIA is helping to funnel the arms to rebel groups. The weapons include automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition, and some antitank weapons, according to the report, which cited unnamed American and Arab intelligence officials.
Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari said that the government has tried unilateral cease-fires, but that the rebels used the lulls in fighting to gather more arms.
He also accused Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey of intentionally undermining the observer mission.
"They are providing weapons, sending in al-Qaeda, giving them haven, allowing them to cross the border with Syria and then run back to neighboring countries, " Jaafari said, according to The Wall Street Journal. "This is becoming so blatant and flagrant, it is too much."
Similar media reports in June said that the Qatari government has taken several arms cargos to the Iraqi Kurdistan region on Israeli aircraft and intends to smuggle these weapons into Syria in a bid to equip armed rebels.
Nakhel news agency quoted informed sources as saying that the arms cargos have been covertly sent to the Iraqi Kurdistan on Israeli aircraft.
The report mentioned that the needed funds for supplying the cargos have been provided by the Qatari government, and added that the weapons are destined for Syria.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.
Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.
The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.
In October, calm was eventually restored in the Arab state after President Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but Israel, the US and its Arab allies are seeking hard to bring the country into chaos through any possible means. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots in the hope of increasing unrests in Syria.