Washington Fueling Syrian War With 'High Octane Gasoline'

The US will provide over $700 million in military support for Syrian opposition groups. By supporting rivals of Bashar al-Assad's, Washington is taking its usual course, political analyst Mikhail Smolin said.

The US Senate passed a defense bill that presumes support for armies and armed formations of other nations. According to the document, $300 million will be unveiled for arms deliveries to Ukraine, and another $715 million – by the initiative of President Barack Obama – will be sent to armed opposition groups in Syria.

By giving money to political rivals of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Washington is taking its usual course, Russian political analyst Mikhail Smolin said.

"US reliance on the Free Syrian Army is a myth which has already been debunked. The world realizes that the FSA is incapable of fighting the Islamic State (ISIL) terrorist group. Thus it makes no sense to support it with all the money given by the US," Smolin told Sputnik Radio.

In addition, sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish between ISIL and FSA fighters, he said.

"American weapons are often caught by terrorists. And everyone who fights terrorism in Syria has to face ISIL militants with American weapons," Smolin added.

He claimed that the US military assistance for Syrian opposition groups is direct military interference in the conflict.

"This is not only escalation but also interference in the conflict. The US is now fueling the war with 'high octane gasoline'. Syrian rebels have already received anti-tank weapons," the analyst said.

Some provisions of the US defense bill refer directly to Russia. The bill retains the provision which allows the Pentagon to take specific measures if Russia violates the INF Treaty.

"The US observes a treaty as long as it can take advantage of it. We can assume that the US would develop its offensive missile weapons beyond the treaty," Smolin said.