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Saudis' Big Deal for Anti-tank Missiles May be Meant to Help Syrian Rebels

Saudis' Big Deal for Anti-tank Missiles May be Meant to Help Syrian Rebels
December 15, 2013 "Information Clearing House - "SCMP" -No one is expecting a tank invasion of Saudi Arabia anytime soon, but the kingdom just put in a huge order for US-made anti-tank missiles that has Saudi-watchers scratching their heads and wondering whether the deal is related to Riyadh’s support for the Syrian rebels.
The proposed weapons deal, which the Pentagon notified Congress of in early December, would provide Riyadh with more than 15,000 Raytheon anti-tank missiles at a cost of over US$1 billion. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance report, Saudi Arabia’s total stockpile this year amounted to slightly more than 4,000 anti-tank missiles. In the past decade, the Pentagon has notified Congress of only one other sale of anti-tank missiles to Saudi Arabia – a 2009 deal that shipped roughly 5,000 missiles to the kingdom.

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