U.S. Now Supplying Syrian Rebels With Anti-Tank TOW Missiles

Check Out the Syrian Rebels' Insane New Missile Launcher -- Foreign Policy

A new video posted on YouTube earlier this week appears to show a Syrian rebel fighter launching a U.S.-made anti-tank missile at what is said to be an enemy tank, raising new questions about whether Washington has begun to supply powerful weapons to groups trying to overthrow the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

If the TOW missile system were supplied by the United States -- and analysts cautioned Monday that its pedigree was unclear -- it would signal a dramatic change in the Obama administration's policy towards arming Syrian rebels. The U.S. government has been reluctant to supply heavy weapons such as anti-tank and surface-to-air missiles, which could be used to shoot down military or civilian aircraft, for fear they'll fall into the hands of religious extremists. The fighter in the video appears to be a member of Harakat Hazm, said two analysts, which is part of the Free Syrian Army, an umbrella group generally seen as more moderate than some of the Islamist fighters who are also trying to overthrow Assad.

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More News On Reports That The U.S. Is Now Supplying Syria's Rebels With Anti-Tank TOW Missiles

US has reportedly started supplying Syrian rebels with anti-tank weapons -- RT
United States Accused of Supplying Anti-Tank Weapons to Syrian Rebels -- IBTimes
Syria: Militants Equipped with US-Made TOW Missiles -- FARS News Agency (Iran)
US arms Syrian rebels with first heavy weapons, anti-tank BGM-71 TOW missiles - raising war stakes -- Debka File

My Comment: If reports of the U.S. now supplying Syrian rebels with anti-tank TOW missiles .... this is a major shift in U.S. policy .... and it will significantly escalate the Syrian civil war.

Update: So much for this skepticism .... U.S. Skepticism for Providing Lethal Aid to Syrian Rebels -- Mark Pomerleau, Epoch Times