Russia Sees U.S. Decision To Arm Syrian Rebels With Shoulder-Fired Anti-Aircraft Missiles As A 'Hostile Act'

Rebel fighter clean a weapon in al-Rai town, northern Aleppo countryside, Syria December 25, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

TASS: Russia sees US decision to supply MANPADS to militants in Syria as 'hostile move'

The relevant decision also poses a direct threat to aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Maria Zakharova has noted

MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. Moscow considers the permission to supply MANPADS to Syria in the new law on US defense spending to be a hostile move, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Tuesday.

She noted that the transferred weapons would quickly end up in the hands of jihadists, and Washington must realize this. "Perhaps, they even expect this to happen, since they actually sponsor the Jabhat al-Nusra [terrorist group, outlawed in Russia - TASS], which is a unit of al Qaeda. This can hardly be called otherwise than aiding and abetting terrorists," the diplomat went on to say.

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Update #1: Russia calls U.S. move to better arm Syrian rebels a 'hostile act' (Reuters)
Update #2: Russia condemns Barack Obama's lifting of military aid restrictions to Syria as a 'hostile act' (The Independent)

WNU Editor: The Kremlin believes this is a policy that the Obama administration is trying to dump on the incoming Trump administration .... Moscow Claims U.S. Defense Bill Forcing 'Anti-Russian' Policy On Trump (RFE).