Report: Obama authorizes covert Syrian rebel aid

Syrian rebels hunt for snipers after attacking the municipality building in the city center of Selehattin, Syria, July 23, 2012, during fights between rebels and Syrian troops.

/ AFP/Getty Images

(CBS News) Earlier this year, President Obama signed an intelligence "finding" authorizing U.S. intelligence agencies to support the opposition in Syria, Reuters reports.

The "finding" is largely a bureaucratic mechanism, and it has long been reported that the CIA is at least aiding in the flow of money and weapons from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to the opposition inside Syria. In June, CBS News correspondent David Martin reported the CIA has been advising other countries about which Syrian rebel groups are deserving of aid.

Additionally, the CIA is known to have been operating a small number of offices in Turkey, but none so far in Syria itself.

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Sources tell CBS News that the direction of U.S. involvement in Syria looks increasingly to be through coordination with Turkey.

That said, CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan reports the U.S. Treasury authorized a private U.S. group to provide direct financing to the Free Syrian Army. Civilians can help buy Syrian rebels guns or whatever they need, thus working around U.S. policy, which is to avoid providing lethal aid to the opposition.

The Obama administration has said repeatedly it is not providing weapons to Syrian rebels because of concerns about their makeup. Several reports have surfaced recently expressing concern over the growing involvement of al Qaeda in Syria.

[jdaryyl]

Hmmmm... me thought alCIAda was supposed to be our enemy because we, er... they are terrorists?

If we don't figure out this big scam as a nation, we are certainly going to continue to get played and it will not end well.

cutting through the matrix Alan Watt

[melbatom]

No weapons being provided??? Compare this statment with our bourder and the weapons transfers. HMMMMMMM Some one is not telling the truth.

[nomorelibs]

Is there nothing sacred with the media these days? Do they not care what happens to people that are involved in these missions? I'm no Obama fan, but it sickens me when this stuff is printed for everyone to see. No discretion whatsoever.

[worldcitizen1]

In a democracy, voters should know what is happening.

[Martha12345]

Shhhhh. Now you got to promise not to tell anyone.

[IMFurious]

Obama: "Here are some really good cell phones to defend yourselves with. Let me know if you need any more!"

Al Queida: "Not only will we supply you weapons and ammunitions, we will fight beside you!"

Now if you were the Syrian rebels, who would you consider your friends AFTER the war ends?

[collie61]

Lets see, over 10,000 people killed by their rouge government. Three months before the presidential election Obama decides he is going to do something. I'm sure this just a coincidence and not Chicago style politics.

[Socialistnation]

It used to be that Liberals in this country hated the use of the CIA or military to overthrow Governments.

I guess when they do it, it is fine...

[Rafterman11]

Number of dead troops in wars Bush involved us in: 3000+
Countries freed: 2 (Iraq, Afghanistan)

Number of dead troops in wars Obama involved us in: 0
Countries freed: 2 (Libya, soon to be Syria)

Get the difference now?

[Socialistnation]

Rafterman11

As if liberals care about the dead US troops. They care about how many we kill.... Especially with covert operations.

[karek40]

Are we are trying to establish another radical islamic government in Syria. We have been successful in Iran, Egypt, Libya, and soon in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Anyone wonder what our long term motive/goal is. Surely our government officials are smart enough to realize those countries do not want a democracy or republic. Let me suggest a more sinister motive. Hitler's government was a socialist government and he openly wanted to exterminate the Jewish people. Our government is currently socialist, perhaps our socialists have the same goal and are using radical islam to more subtlety achieve the same ends. Too obvious?

[OldTimeAmerican]

The sky is falling... The Sky is falling... said karek40...

[lesserof2evil]

so go buy your ak-47 before it's too late.

[Rafterman11]

The right wing last week: Stupid Obama, he's doing nothing to help freedom in Syria

The right wing this week: Stupid Obama is getting us into another war - with taxpayer money!

[OweninNJ]

Do you deny the Orwellian irony of this article? "Report: Obama authorizes Covert Syrian Rebel aid". We get that you're liberal. Fine and dandy. By why are we discussing 'covert' anything in a public post? Do you believe Assad cannot read? Will he not use this information to crush more dissent and more lives? If Obama truly believes that supporting Syrian rebels is in our interest, he needs to make a case for it. If it is to be strictly covert aid, then why are we snipping about it publicly? We didn't know about the Osama op beforehand and the result, absent the chopper tech we left behind, was great. Would that we could still keep secrets and act in our self interest without making political hay of everything. I won't be supporting Obama for reelection, mainly due to domestic policy failures, but his handling of the covert war against terrorists has been very strong.

[nohater]

obama working at regime changes. he spent one billion in military missions to overthrow libya's qaddafi, gave palestinians 147 million recently. he has troops in africa and various outposts in africa. now obama will drive assad out of syria or push him to a spot where he too can be assassinated just like qaddafi.