By: Marshall Ramsey II, WorthyNews.com U.S. Correspondent
On Wednesday, October 17, the Obama administration announced plans to sell up to $60 billion worth of advanced fighter aircraft, helicopters, and related weapons systems to Saudi Arabia. It is said to have been done to help Saudi Arabia deal with potential threats from Iran.
In the Thursday, October 18, 2012 print edition of the Wall Street Journal, certain Syrian rebel fighter groups are reported to have received advanced portable anti-aircraft weapons, known as manpads (man-portable air defense systems).
Video footage uploaded on the Internet earlier in the week apparently shows rebels in Aleppo, Syria, using weapons that military experts and rebels say are heat-seeking, shoulder-fired missiles, the first documented use of them in the conflict. Versions of such weapons, also known by the term manpad have been smuggled into the country since the summer from Turkey, and to a lesser extent from Lebanon, according to Syrian rebels and self-proclaimed light arms suppliers.
Under the terms of the deal, the United States will provide Saudi Arabia with 84 advanced F-15 fighter planes with electronics packages tailored to Saudi needs. An additional 70 F-15's already possessed by the Saudis will be upgraded to match the capabilities of the new planes.
Saudi Arabia will purchase a huge fleet of Apache, Blackhawk, and other U.S. military helicopters, along with a vast array of radar systems, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, and guided bombs.
It has been reported that the Obama administration is supplying such weapons to Syrian rebels by way of Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Within the past month it was reported that the Obama administraation quietly gave Saudi Arabia "arms distribution rights," meaning that the Obama administration sells weapons and other military equipment to Saudi Arabia and then they give them to whomsoever they will. This could include, and, in fact, does, Turkey, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon, Egypt, and possibly others.
Perhaps the most damaging piece of information to date confirming a U.S./Syrian opposition forces arms connection via Saudi Arabia and Turkey comes from a July 27, 2012 Reuters news article titled, "Secret Turkish nerve center leads aid to Syria rebels," by Regan Doherty and Amena Bakr. It states that Turkey has set up a secret base with Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct vital miltiary and communications aid to Syria's rebels from a city near the border, according to story sources.
"It's the Turks who are militarily controlling it. Turkey is the main coordinator/facilitator. Think of a triangle, with Turkey at the top and Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the bottom," said a Doha-based source.
"The Americans are very hands off on this. U.S. intel(ligence) are working through middlemen. Middlemen are controlling access to weapons and routes."
On Wednesday, 17 October, 2012, fighters said they downed a miltary helicopter int he town of Maarat al-Nouman, in northern Idlib province. At least three others were also brought down this week across Syria, rebels claim, although neither the manner in which they were brought down, nor the party/parties responsible could be independently verified through official channels.
The supply center/supply routes appear to converge on Adana, which is located in southern Turkey, about 60 miles (100 km) from the Syrian border. It was set up at the request of Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Saud, according to a Gulf (of Aqaba?) source. The Turks liked the idea of having a base in Adana so that they could supervise its operations, he added.
Adana is home to Incirlik, a large Turkish/U.S. air force base which Washington has used in the past for reconnaissance and military logistics operations.
Qatar, which played a leading part in supplying weapons to Libyan rebels, has a key role in directing operations at the Adana base, the sources said. Qatar is a (natural) gas rich nation, which may be a clue as to their role in Adana, although specifics are not known at this time. What is known is that Qatari military intelligence and state security officials are involved.
Another curious aspect to this story is the fact that President Obama and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham-Clinton appear to be at odds on the issue of aiding Syrian rebels in the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. President Obama has consistently stated he wants to use "diplomatic efforts" to oppose President Assad while Secretary Clinton recently announced more support for Syrian rebels, people supposedly dedicated to ousting President Assad from power.
What gives? Does President Obama secretly support the continued rule of Bashar Assad over the Syrian people, despite knowing what is going on there? If so, why? The arms package would have to be approved by Obama in order to take place, so it must have his approval. And it is certain that President Obama knows that Saudi Arabia takes what they give and distributes it to other Middle-eastern and European countries. So why the public disagreement? The only answer that can be rightfully gotten is that President Obama is trying to deceive someone in the international community.
We know that President Obama supported the government of Iran when the Arab Spring started last year, saying something similar to what he is saying now regarding Syria and the situation there. We also know that President Obama supported rebel forces (whom we now know to be Muslim Brotherhood forces) in the overthrow of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and former Libyan President Mohammar Qaddafi. Each of these are known to violently oppose anyone who disagrees with them, with retribution leading up to, and including, murder.
It is also known that each of these groups, including President Obama, bears ill will toward the nation of Israel. The question that has to be asked is this: Is U.S. President Barack Obama secretly aligning with and uniting Israel's enemies in an effort to destroy them? If not, what other conclusion can be reached?
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