Syrian rebels say receive more weapons for Aleppo battle

[October 19, 2015]  BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - Rebels battling the Syrian army and its allies south of Aleppo say they have received new supplies of U.S.-made anti-tank missiles from states that oppose President Bashar al-Assad since a major government offensive began there on Friday.

Rebels from three Free Syrian Army-affiliated groups contacted by Reuters said new supplies had arrived since the start of the attack by the army backed by Iranian fighters and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

But officials from one of the groups said that while new quantities had arrived, the supplies were not enough for the scale of the assault. They declined to be identified due to the sensitivities of the matter. "A few will not do the trick. They need dozens," said one of the officials.

A number of rebel groups vetted by states opposed to Assad have been supplied with weapons via Turkey, part of a program supported by the United States and which has in some cases included military training by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Rami Abdulrahman, director of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which monitors the Syrian conflict, said rebels had hit at least 11 army vehicles with guided anti-tank missiles near Aleppo since Friday.

(Reporting by Tom Perry and Suleiman al-Khalidi; Editing by Alison Williams)

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