Syrian army arrests Saudi spies

The Syrian army on Friday arrested three Saudi intelligence officers who were engaged in terrorist activities in Syria. "The Syrian army arrested three intelligence agents affiliated to the Saudi intelligence service headed by Bandar bin Sultan," sources said in an interview with the Lebanese al-Manar weekly on Wednesday. The apprehended spies have confessed that their mission was contacting Israeli intelligence officials to provide them with intelligence reports on Syria's vital sites and centers. The Saudi officers revealed that one of the assistants of Bandar bin Sultan has traveled to al-Qusseir city and held meetings with the ringleaders of the terrorist groups in the region, adding that he is the same guy who heads the arms smuggling network into Syria. In a relevant event earlier this month, the top commander of foreign-backed militants fighting against the Syrian government said the militants have received a 35-ton arms shipment from Saudi Arabia. Brigadier General Salim Idris, the chief of staff of the so-called Free Syrian Army, said on Thursday that the consignment will help armed men in their battles against the Syrian Army. He added, however, that the munitions are not advanced and sophisticated enough to enable the militants defeat Syrian government forces. The general noted, in particular, that the weapons will not be able to overpower tanks and planes in the strategic town of al-Qusseir, which is situated about 35 kilometers (22 miles) South of the Western city of Homs.