U.S. Sharply Boosts Aid to Syria Rebels: Report

America is reportedly stepping up its commitment to the Syrian rebels with new injections of money, upgraded weapons and intelligence coordination, according to several respected Arab news sources, the Abu Dhabi-based The National and the Jordanian-based Ammon News.

The moves are said to include supply of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, which Saudi Arabia has been eager to supply but Washington has opposed. Ammon News reported Tuesday that the shoulder missiles will come from Jordan and Turkey and that Washington continues to oppose the supply.

According to The National, a secret operations command center has been set up at Jordanian intelligence headquarters in Amman to work with the rebels, staffed by military officials—military intelligence officers, according to Maariv—from 14 countries including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and various European states. Jordan denied that the center exists. But Washington Post foreign affairs pundit David Ignatius reported this week that intelligence officials from most of the countries named by The National met in Washington a week ago to discuss Syria strategy.

Israel is watching the shifts nervously, Maariv reported, partly because of a decision by the moderate Free Syrian Army to shift its main forces from northern Syria, where they face stiff competition from jihadi militias, to the south, close to Israel. The shift southward, it’s feared, could tempt jihadi forces to move southward following the fighting, putting Israel in danger from Al Qaeda-linked terrorism.

The Obama administration has been criticized for its reluctance to engage more deeply in the Syrian conflict until now, which was due in large part to fear that assistance to the opposition forces under the weak General Salim Idris would end up promoting the Al Qaeda-linked jihadi forces that have increasingly dominated the rebel side. The administration had hoped that moderate aid to the rebels along with a strong diplomatic push might lead to a peaceful settlement.

Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/jj-goldberg/193174/us-sharply-boosts-aid-to-syria-rebels-report/?#ixzz2u0MN3iCs