MESOP FLASH : A new weapon on the Syrian battlefield; The BGM-71 TOW, made in the USA?

Sunday, 6 April 2014 – Footage published on the fifth of April 2014 shows a new type of weapon in the rebel’s arsenal; The BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile.Operated by Harakat Hazm, loyal to Salim Idris and consisting of mostly ex-Kataib Farouq members. the footsge was shot near Heesh, Idlib Governorate, the footage can be found here and here.

The TOW is probably the most popular missile used in the region, which makes tracking the source of these missiles, without the help of serial numbers, extremely hard.
There are a few possible explanations for the origin of these missiles;


– Supplied by Saudi Arabia with permission from the U.S.
– Acquired via the black market in Lebanon.

– The missiles could have been captured from regime forces. Hizbullah is known to have TOWs in its inventory, and Iran is manufacturing its own copy of TOW, called Toophan, it could have delivered those to pro-Assadists. However, it should be noted that as of now there is no evidence of Hizbullah bringing its TOWs into Syria or of Toophan missiles being used by pro-Assad forces.

Until more photos or videos of the missile and possible other locations pop up, it’s hard to tell who might have been the supplier. But most likely, the TOWs were indeed foreign-supplied to the rebels. Since the TOW missiles are made in the U.S, such a transfer likely needs permission from the Obama administration.

These videos either mark the start of a new anti-tank missile offensive, as seen with the Konkurs and HJ-8s, or simply a one-off.