U.S. officially starts shipping arms for Syrian rebels

The Central Intelligence Agency has begun moving weapons to Jordan from a network of secret warehouses and plans to start arming small groups of vetted Syrian rebels within a month, according to Wall Street Journal.

 The shipments, related training and a parallel push to mobilize arms deliveries from European and Arab allies of the US are being timed with a major US conspiracy against the Syrian government starting by early August, the diplomats and officials said.

The diplomats were revealing details of a new covert plan authorized by President Barack Obama and disclosed earlier this month, the journal said.

The Central Intelligence Agency has begun moving weapons to start arming small groups of vetted Syrian rebels within a month. The CIA is expected to spend up to three weeks bringing light arms and possibly antitank missiles to Jordan.

The agency plans to spend roughly two weeks more vetting an initial group of fighters and making sure they know how to use the weapons that they are given, clearing the way for the first U.S.-armed rebels to enter the fight, diplomats briefed on the CIA's plans said.

Talks are under way with other countries, including France, about pre-positioning European-procured weapons in Jordan. Saudi Arabia is expected to provide shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles, known as Manpads, to a small number of handpicked fighters, officials and diplomats said.