WarSclerotic

Attempting to circumvent al-Qaida’s increased influence in a potential post-President Bashar Assad Syria, the CIA has begun to trickle intelligence information to select rebel fighters, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing US officials.

At the moment only limited intelligence is being passed along as it is unclear at this point which rebel groups can be trusted by the CIA, according to the officials.

US, European and Arab officials said the move is based on the US and Israel’s changing preference for dealing with secular groups amid hopes that they will be more cooperative when rebuilding Syria’s leadership structure if Assad falls.

According to the officials, a similar motivation behind the move could be US counter-terrorism reports that the al Nusra Front, a terrorist group operating in Syria, is possibly strengthening its connections to the al-Qaida leadership based in Pakistan.

The US’ wealth of information comes from a variety of sources, including use of satellites, and working closely with Israeli and Jordanian spy agencies, both of which have extensive networks in place in Syria.

Though there has been a rise in CIA involvement in the Syrian civil war, there are currently no plans to be directly involved in the military actions as reiterated by US President Barack Obama on Friday.

Beyond the sharing of information, the CIA has been working with Jordanian, French and British intelligence services to provide training for several types of weapons.

There has been rising pressure on Obama from forces within the US government calling for an increase in US involvement, as Michigan Democrat Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin sent a letter to Obama urging him to take “more active steps to stop the killing in Syria and force Bashar Assad to give up power.”

As al Nusra’s influence grows, so much so that one specialist termed them “an organization that resembles an army,” Israeli officials have become more concerned with the situation unfolding in Syria.

The Wall Street Journal quoted a highly placed Israeli official who said, “Israel would welcome America’s influence in shaping the post-Assad Syria.”