IRGC commander: Arabs doing heavy spending to change fate of Syria, Lebanon

The commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Qassem Suleimani, said a number of Arab states are spending huge sums of money in Syria and Lebanon to change the two countries' fate, but have failed to reach their goals so far.Addressing a gathering of war veterans in Iran's Southeastern city of Kerman, Suleimani pointed to the developments in the region, and stressed that the regional nations are highly sensitive about events in the region, specially those in Syria and Lebanon.He pointed to some Arab countries' heavy spending in Syria and Lebanon, and noted, "In Syria, some Arab countries are spending money to make conditions tense, but the nation and government of Syria are resisting."With regard to Lebanon, the commander said, "They spent $1.2bln during the last elections in Lebanon in a bid to prevent Hezbollah's victory, but to no avail."Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.The US and its western and regional allies have long sought to topple Assad and his ruling system. Media reports said that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups battling the President Bashar al-Assad's government have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.The newspaper, quoting opposition activists and US and foreign officials, reported that Obama administration officials emphasized the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the Persian Gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.Opposition activists who several months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said in May that the flow of weapons - most bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military in the past - has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.