Syrian rebels say get new missiles to confront offensive
BEIRUT - Syrian rebels have been sent "excellent quantities" of ground-to-ground Grad missiles by foreign backers in recent days, to help them confront a Russian-backed offensive by the government north of Aleppo, two rebel commanders told Reuters on Friday.
"It is excellent additional fire power for us," said one of the commanders, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. The second rebel commander said the missiles were being used to hit army positions beyond the front line. "They give the factions longer reach," he said.
Foreign opponents of President Bashar Assad, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre. Some of the vetted groups have received military training overseen by the US Central Intelligence Agency.
