France admits supplying arms to Libyan rebels

France has provided anti-Gadhafi rebels with weapons, admitting on Wednesday that its military dropped light arms and ammunitions to fighters in Libya’s Nafusa mountains in early June. According to reports from Le Figaro newspaper, the French military also dropped rocket launchers and anti-tank missiles without informing its NATO allies. A military spokesman told the AFP news agency that the arms were “light infantry weapons of the rifle type,” that were dropped “so civilians would not be massacred.” France’s admission of providing arms could bring further criticism from countries like Russia and China, who contend the NATO-led mission in Libya is overstepping the boundaries of its UN-mandate. The U.S., on the other hand, has argued that NATO countries are able to provide weapons to rebel fighters in Libya under UN resolution 1973.

BBC News