Iranian weapons help Bashar Assad put down Syria protests, officials say

MSNBC/Reuters ^ | 3/24/2012 | MSNBC/Reuters

[U-238]

Iran is providing a broad array of assistance to Syrian President Bashar Assad to help him suppress anti-government protests, from high-tech surveillance technology to guns and ammunition, U.S. and European security officials say.

Tehran's technical assistance to Assad's security forces includes electronic surveillance systems, technology designed to disrupt efforts by protesters to communicate via social media, and Iranian-made drone aircraft for overhead surveillance, the officials said. They discussed intelligence matters on condition of anonymity.

"Over the past year, Iran has provided security assistance to Damascus to help shore up Assad. Tehran during the last couple of months has been aiding the Syrian regime with lethal assistance - including rifles, ammunition, and other military equipment -- to help it put down the opposition," a U.S. official said.

"Iran has provided Damascus (with) monitoring tools to help the regime suppress the opposition. It has also shared techniques on Internet surveillance and disruption," the official continued.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[tet68]

This is news?
Iran is probably using Syria as a testing ground
much like Spain was by the Germans.
Things they can’t quite test on their own opposition
yet.

[dfwgator]

Good analogy.

[U-238]

Good point.

[kearnyirish2]

I am an American; how will this story resolve our Florida black/Hispanic problem?

If it doesn’t, then who gives a sh!t?

[U-238]

Its a possiblity that this can get out of control very easily and start a regional war.Then it will be everybody’s problem.

[kearnyirish2]

The Middle East for too long has been used as a diversion for our domestic problems. The fact that people suspect Obama might start a conflict there for that very purpose says it all; all we’ve done is further destabilize the area by toppling the most secular leaders while allied with the most fanatic.