CAIRO, Egypt – The Syrian and Lebanese authorities have recurrently intercepted weapon shipments, while they were being smuggled into the country amid the unrest. The last of the consignments, which had been loaded onto two cars, consisted of rocket-propelled grenades, Kalashnikov rifles, pump-action shotguns, sniper rifles, pistols, and various types of ammunition.
The Syrian envoy to the regional grouping of the Arab League (AL), Youssef Ahmad said, "They are Israeli made automatic weapons. This is proven and we'll show it on TV channels.These are the weapons used by the armed opposition to kill the sons of our nation." Syrian state television reported.- The Syrian envoy made this announcement at an emergency meeting in the 22-member-body's headquarters in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Sunday.
Ahmad complained that no Arab partner had acted to condemn neither such instances of Tel Aviv's contribution to domestic violence in Syria nor the killings of Syrian armed forces.- In addition, the envoy called on the Arab nations not to join, what he referred to as, a United States-backed plan to target Syria.
- The meeting came amid continued unrest in Syria,
which has been raging on since mid-March, leaving hundreds of casualties, including members of the security forces. - The Syrian government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists for the violence.
- Damascus says that the unrest is being orchestrated from outside the country and that the security forces have been given clear instructions not to harm civilians.
Peter Harling, a Damascus-based expert with the Brussels-headquartered International Crisis Group said, "Smuggling networks that for years have operated along Syria's borders seem to have turned to weapons trafficking in recent months." Harling added that it appeared that a market had quickly developed in a country, where weapons were not being circulated easily before.
- AL member states are, however, discussing whether to suspend Syria's membership over the deadly violence, downplaying Damascus' heightened need under the current circumstances for regional support.
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