The same proliferation will likely occur in man-portable anti-aircraft weapons, thereby challenging U.S. dominance in close air support.
The target was a convoy believed to be carrying anti-aircraft weapons bound for Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militant group allied with Syria and Iran.
Originally designed as a specialist anti-submarine ship, the Type 22 frigate evolved into a powerful surface combatant with substantial anti-surface, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weapons systems.
Originally designed as a specialist anti-submarine ship, the Type 22 frigates evolved into a powerful surface combatant with substantial anti-surface, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weapons systems.
BBC: Four Royal Navy frigates in Portsmouth Harbour for sale
In February, Israel attacked a convoy of anti-aircraft weapons in Syria.
U.S. officials say the strike hit a convoy of anti-aircraft weapons bound for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah while the vehicles were still on Syrian territory.
"The main arms of concern to us are the arms that are already in Syria - these are anti-aircraft weapons, these are chemical weapons and other very, very dangerous weapons that could be game changers, " he said.
He said that if terrorists seized anti-aircraft and chemical weapons they could be "game changers" in the region.
The Americans said the mosque was a staging-post for the insurgents and that weapons confiscated included mortars and an anti-aircraft missile.
Israel is also concerned that Assad's arsenal of advanced arms, including chemical weapons, anti-aircraft systems and sophisticated missiles, could be transferred to Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon or fall into the hands of radical rebel groups.
But the fall of Gadhafi opened up a black market arms bazaar across North Africa, and western intelligence agencies believe AQIM may have acquired anti-aircraft missiles along with other heavy weapons, as well as plenty of vehicles, essential in a region of few (and dilapidated) roads.
Heavy weapons, including anti-aircraft guns, were used during Monday's clashes which lasted about one hour, sources told CNN.
Given the ease with which the Soviets could cheat on an agreement and the incentive they would have to do so (given the considerable vulnerability of the U.S. fleet to nuclear attack) the only realistic option is for the United States to deploy a modest number of effective nuclear weapons for anti-ship, submarine and aircraft purposes.
Iran is not giving the Iraqis the good stuff the anti-aircraft missiles that can shoot down American planes and its advanced anti-tank weapons.
Of course this must be qualified in many ways, not least that Russia may be playing its own diplomatic gambit by threatening to send S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, it may not follow through with the threat, and that considerable supplies of weapons (arranged by Saudi Arabia and Qatar) are already reaching the rebels.
But Russia now sells Iran weapons (although it has held back a delivery of advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missiles), and China's firms have snapped up energy contracts that others have been encouraged by their governments to drop.
By some accounts, the Russians, Iranians and others had discovered that he was covertly providing automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and even shoulder-fired, man-portable anti-aircraft missiles to "the opposition" there, including known jihadists associated with the Muslim Brotherhood and al Qaeda.
These include: eight sophisticated diesel submarines, advanced SU-30 fighter aircraft, modern air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons, supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles and as many as 350 short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.
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