Gulf may supply anti-aircraft missiles to Syrian opposition

Gulf states may supply opposition groups in Syria with anti-aircraft missiles to defend themselves against Syrian and Russian warplanes, Reuters reported.

An official, who was speaking on the condition of anonymity, said yesterday that frustration over Washington and the breakdown of the ceasefire may pave the way for Gulf countries to take action on their own.

Until now, Washington has kept large numbers of man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) out of Syria, deciding to channel efforts towards training and infantry weapons to moderate opposition groups while it pursued talks with Moscow.

But frustration with Washington has intensified, raising the possibility that Gulf allies or Turkey will no longer continue to follow the US lead or will turn a blind eye to wealthy individuals looking to supply MANPADS to opposition groups. This will be a game changer and raise speculations that a military solution is seen by all parties as the only possible solution.

Commenting on the different position of the coalition, the official said: “Saudis have always thought that the way to get the Russians to back off is what worked in Afghanistan 30 years ago – negating their air power by giving MANPADS to the mujahideen.”

“So far, we’ve been able to convince them that the risks of that are much higher today because we’re not dealing with a Soviet Union in retreat, but a Russian leader who’s bent on rebuilding Russian power and less likely to flinch.”

The US State Department has stressed that Washington does not want to see anyone pouring more weapons into the conflict however more than one official mentioned that opposition fighters have a right to defend themselves and they will not be left defenceless in the face of indiscriminate bombardment.