Syrian Rebel with Israeli FAL Rifle
The Telegraph published this fascinating photo. It shows two members of the Syrian anti-goverment group known as the Free Syrian Army. The rebel in the foreground appears to be armed with an Israeli FN FAL with a low-zoom tactical-style scope mounted atop.
The Israeli FN FAL has a distinctive fore-end, heatshied and flash-hiderless barrel.
The modus operandi of countries supplying weapons to rebels is to supply weapons that would be associated with a third party and not able to be traced back to them. This gun was probably supplied or sold to the rebels by a neighboring Arab state from an old stockpile of captured Israeli weaponry. The FN FAL was Israel’s standard service rifle during the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War.
Can anyone identify the scope and scope mount?
[ Many thanks to jimflat6 for emailing us the link. ]
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The rifle appears to be in remarkable condition for it's age. It's clearly been refurbished.
Chances are Israel sold them off in the mid 70's. Somebody's probably buying up and refurbishing them and selling them. A refurbished FAL with a decent scope would make a very attractively priced battle rifle.
Australian SASR (and I think the British SAS) used refurbished SLR's (British commonwealth manufactured version of the FAL, most were semi auto only) as Battle Rifles up until relatively recently, seeing action in Afghanistan
I can think of two sources for Israeli FALs in rebel hands. Capture in 1973 on the Golan Hts. Quite a few Israeli soldiers were captured on both fronts in the first hours of the war. While the Egyptians seem to have treated POWs well, most captured by Syria were executed.
However, I expect that most FALs in Syria were given by Israel to allies in Lebenon.