CIA To Arm Syrian Rebels With More Lethal Weapons If Ceasefire Fails

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The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is preparing to supply Syrian rebels with more powerful weapons should the six week old ceasefire in Syria collapse, US media report

“Plan B” will come into force if the truce collapse and negotiations lead nowhere was the message reportedly relayed by CIA Director John Brennan and State Secretary John Kerry in private meetings with their Russian counterparts.

Washington and its allies are discussing which weapon systems are to be delivered to “vetted moderate” rebels

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Wasn’t that the plan all along?

Sputnik news reports:

“The outside patrons will double and triple down, throwing everything they can into Syria, including much more lethal weaponry,” a senior US President Barack Obama administration official told The Wall Street Journal late Tuesday.

The CIA and its regional partners are considering various types of anti-aircraft weapons for deliveries to Syrian rebels, although US and Mideast officials declined to specify the precise systems, citing the program’s sensitivity and concerns with Syrian government backers’ possible countermeasures.

“The agreement is to up the ante, if needed,” a senior US official conveyed the CIA’s message to the US coalition backing Syrian rebels.

The so-called Plan A cessation of hostilities between Syrian government forces and rebel groups, with the exception of terrorist networks operating in the country, took effect on February 27 and has been described as largely holding despite violations.

The day after Russia and the United States negotiated the ceasefire, on February 23, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said the United States was “not ruling out a plan B” in case the truce did not hold. Russia questioned US commitment to the cessation of hostilities with its contingency plan.