Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON —  Persian Gulf states have opened a weapons
line to Sunni rebels in Syria.

Opposition sources said at least two Gulf Cooperation Council states were investing tens of
millions of dollars per month to equip the rebels with weapons, munitions
and basic supplies.

The sources said the arms were flowing through such countries
as Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey and for the first time enabled the rebels to accumulate stockpiles around the Damascus area.

“There were always weapons coming to the rebels, but now they are
arriving in reasonable amounts and to locations where they can be used,” an opposition source said.

The weapons were identified as anti-tank missiles, rocket-propelled
grenade launchers, shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, assault rifles and detonators for improvised explosive devices. The sources said the Saudi and Qatari money were flowing through the aid of Jordan, Turkey and the United States as well as bribes to Syrian border officers.

“What we really needed was money because there were plenty of sources of
weapons, but for several months, the rebels couldn’t afford much,” the
source said. “Now, with money, we could buy anything we want, particularly
from Syrian Army warehouses.”

The United States has expanded relations with the Sunni rebels,
particularly the Free Syrian Army and Syrian National Council. The sources
said Washington, under strong pressure from Congress, opened channels for
the flow of non-lethal aid to the rebels, which also allowed weapons to
reach Syria.

“The U.S. contacts with the rebel military and the information-sharing
with Gulf nations mark a shift in Obama administration policy as hopes dim
for a political solution to the Syrian crisis,” the Washington Post reported
on May 16. “Many officials now consider an expanding military confrontation
to be inevitable.”

The Post said the rebels were stockpiling weapons and other supplies in
such Syrian cities as Damascus, Idlib and Zabadani. The newspaper, quoting
officials and opposition sources, said SNC has also opened a weapons channel
to Sunni rebels.

The sources said the administration of President Barack Obama,
particularly the State Department, wants to widen the rebel war against
Assad. They said the State Department was working with a range of opposition
groups and hoped to persuade the Kurds in northeastern Syria to join the
revolt.

“It seems like the Americans want to tip the balance and end the war
this year,” another opposition source said.

  Bashar Assad, Free Syrian Army, Gulf Cooperation Council, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, Obama administration, Sunni rebels, Syrian National Council, Weapons bought by Gulf states flowing to Syrian rebels from Iraq