Syrian rebels have confirmed that they have received a shipment of weapons assistance. Free Syrian Army spokesman Louay Muqdad stated that, "We've received quantities of new types of weapons, including some that we asked for and that we believe will change the course of the battle on the ground." Muqdad also added that they have made a commitment to collect all the weapons once Bashar al-Assad’s regime falls. 

According to Kahlid Saleh, a spokesman for the main Syrian Opposition Coalition, this shift in US policy has prompted other countries to increase weapons assistance, including antitank and antiaircraft weaponry. Saleh mentioned that shipments have come from nations in the Friends of Syria Group, which is a collation of 11 Western and Arab countries that support the opposition. 

There have been reports of Saudi-funded small arms and anti-tank missiles being delivered to Aleppo, where the rebels are facing the Russian supplied regime forces. The Russian government has defended its arms deals with Assad’s government and has criticized the US for arming the rebels, which includes “terrorist” groups. "If the United States ... recognizes one of the key Syrian opposition organizations, [Jabhat] al-Nusra, as terrorist ... how can one deliver arms to those opposition members?" Putin said at an economic forum. 

US Secretary of State John Kerry headed to Qatar on Friday in order to work with allies on how to proceed with the situation and consider how far the arms assistance to rebels will go. 

Reach Executive Producer Syuzanna Petrosyan here. Follow her on Twitter.