Obama administration turns the tables on Russian claims about US weapons in Syria

Russia is right that Syria is awash with shoulder-fired missiles, the Obama administration said Wednesday — but they're Russian SA-7s, not U.S.-made Stingers.

The United States is providing “no Stingers of any kind to Syria, nor will we,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said during her daily briefing. “All the images we have seen [show missiles] of a Soviet or Warsaw-Pact vintage.”

Her remarks come after Russia's top general on Wednesday accused the United States of providing Stingers and other shoulder-fired missiles to the Syrian opposition against President Bashar Assad. The administration maintains that its aid to the opposition is entirely non-lethal, prompting the ire of Republicans who want the United States to arm the rebels.

“We have information that the rebels fighting the Syrian army have shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles of several states, including Stingers made in the United States,”Russian chief of staff Gen. Nikolai Makarov told Russia’s Interfax news agency. “We need to still find out who has delivered them.”

Nuland said if Russia has any proof that the Syrians gained access to Stingers sold to U.S. allies such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, “we'd like to see the evidence.” Russia is one of Assad's few remaining arms providers, along with Iran.

Nuland's denial was much stronger than that of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who was also asked about the Russian charges Wednesday.

“I have no comment on those reports, and that shouldn't be interpreted as affirmation one way or the other,” Panetta said. “I don't know what the reports are and I certainly don't know of us providing any such missiles in that area.”

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