Turkey to search ship possibly carrying weapons to Syria

Turkish authorities are preparing to board and search a German-owned cargo ship reported to be carrying Iranian weapons bound for Syria.

Citing unnamed dissident sources within the Syrian government, the German magazine Der Spiegel first reported last week that the Atlantic Cruiser was carrying Iranian arms (more…)

Annan tells UN security council Syria must withdraw troops

U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan told the Security Council on Thursday that Syria has not fully complied with the terms of his peace plan and urged the 15-nation body to demand the withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons from towns, council diplomats said. (more…)

Lebanese Army denies reports that Hezbollah prevented it from inspecting weapons shipment

The Lebanese army denied a media report that Hizbullah members have prevented it from inspecting a truck loaded with weapons in the western Bekaa valley. MP Antoine Saad said in remarks published on Sunday that the Lebanese army was stopped by members of Hezbollah from inspecting a truck loaded with drugs in the Bekaa town of Kherbet Kanafar. (more…)

Massive stockpile of Russian arms have fueled Syrian assault

After a winter of bloodshed in which President Bashar al-Assad deployed tanks and rockets to pulverise his own cities, figures released yesterday showed that Damascus splashed out millions of dollars both before and during the anti-government uprising in an effort to develop an enormous arsenal of largely Russian-made weapons.

Arms deliveries skyrocketed by nearly 600 per cent between 2007 and 2011 compared with the preceding five-year period. As the Syrian people laboured under a faltering economy and Baathist repression, Damascus spent hundreds of millions of dollars on missile systems, air defence facilities and anti-ship rockets. (more…)

Arms shipments to Syrian rebels slows

For months, arms merchants have been buying black-market weapons in Lebanon for the insurgency against Syrian President Bashar Assad. But the arms supply has slowed to a trickle. (more…)

Iran: Saudi Arabia is smuggling weapons through Jordan to Syrian rebels

Iranian sources in Dubai report that a shipment of arms and ammunition hailing from Saudi Arabia is on its way through Jordan, to be smuggled across the border with Syria to equip the armed uprising. According to the sources, Saudis are acting in anger against US non-intervention to stop Assad’s crackdown and Turkey’s all-talk, no-action stance. (more…)

jihadists, weapons moving from Iraq to Syria, official

Jihadists are moving from Iraq to Syria, as are weapons being sent to opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Iraq’s deputy interior minister told AFP on Saturday.

Assad has been attempting to crush an uprising against his rule since March 2011, and thousands of people have been killed. (more…)

Syrian ‘chemical, biological’ weapons worry Israel

Israel has serious concerns about what will happen to “huge stockpiles” of chemical and biological weapons in Syria when the Assad regime collapses, a senior military official said in Jerusalem on Tuesday. (more…)

Missing weapons from Gadhafi-era arms caches raise fears

TRIPOLI, Libya — Crates of mortar shells sit unguarded and empty boxes for missiles to blow up tanks and bring down airplanes are strewn about arms depots around the Libyan capital.

Former rebels say they took some ammunition for the fight against Moammar Gadhafi, but U.S. officials and others have expressed fears Libya’s weapons could fall into the wrong hands. (more…)

Turkey intercepted arms shipment between Iran and Syria

Turkey’s foreign minister says the country’s authorities have intercepted an arms shipment from Iran to Syria. Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed Friday a report saying a truck containing weapons had been intercepted. (more…)