Posted on 06/18/2013 12:40:47 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
(Reuters) - Rebels fought to halt an advance by President Bashar al-Assad's forces into northern Syria on Monday while U.S. President Barack Obama faced a showdown with Russia's Vladimir Putin over Obama's decision last week to arm the insurgents.
New evidence emerged of escalating foreign support for the rebels, with a Gulf source telling Reuters that Saudi Arabia had equipped fighters for the first time with shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, their most urgent request. Rebels said Riyadh had also sent them anti-tank missiles.
European nations backing the rebels would "pay the price" if they joined those sending weapons to Syria, President Bashar al-Assad told a German newspaper.
The Saudi weapons deal was disclosed as rebel fighters confront government troops and hundreds of militants from the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia seeking to retake the northern city of Aleppo, where heavy fighting resumed on Monday.
After months of indecision, the Obama administration announced last week that it would arm the rebels because Assad's forces had crossed a "red line" by using nerve gas. That has put Washington on the opposite side of the two-year-old civil war from its Cold War foe Moscow, which supplies weapons to Assad.
The United Nations has urged all sides to stop sending arms to a conflict that has killed at least 93,000 and shows no sign of abating. But those calls have been ignored, with regional and global powers doubling down on support for either side.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I hope the Saudis have kept the supplies low. These may be traveling back across the Saudi border some day.
The Saudis love the rebels so much, and identify with their goals so intimately that they —the Saudis— are sending ZERO troops.
Right? Do I have that right?
And we —bankrupt on the other side of planet Earth— are sending 5,000 farms boys over there to FIGHT.
On behalf of muslim people who LIKE Al Qaeda.
Right?
And just where did the Saudi’s get shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles,....?
McCain is all for it!
See #4.
NOT RIGHT!
But CORRECT!
Good one...
Saudi’s better pray that one of those missiles don’t take out a Russian airliner coming in or out of Damascus. Doubt the Russians will be amused or end up invading Iraq in retaliation.
Yeah, I wonder.
Putin told Obama that if Obama created a “no fly zone”, that Russian military transports would ignore it and fly supplies to Syria anyway. He dared Obama to do anything about it.
As difficult as it is to conjure up - you nailed it.
Obama vs Pooty Poot is like a ball lost in tall grass.
The world has taken its measure of Obama, and found him to be weak.
Ahh yes the Syrian rebels who behead and murder christians—this is who The Bam supports. Not that pencil neck Assad is 99.44% pure like Ivory Snow but the US should stay out of it. Whoever wins in Syria is not our friend no matter what. Scrooge them all.
a-rabs killing a-rabs
i`ll get back to ya with a peace plan, let me work out the details. get back to me next year.
Based on the nonverbals, Putin merely tolerates Boy Zer0.
This is why executive experience is vital when electing a president. Obama thinks he can simply act without engaging his main counterpart. Now.. once again.. his words are going to make us look like weakdi*ks because we don't back up our words.
Isn’t it interesting, and really quite sad, that not only is he 100% right, but that Putin is the one who makes perfect sense here and that WE are getting lectured on morals, by him.
I loathe Obama.
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