CIA-funded weapons have begun flowing to Syrian rebels , a U.S. official told CNN . But opposition groups say they have yet to receive any . The official confirmed details first reported by the Washington Post but would not speak publicly . `` That is something we are not going to dispute , but we are not going to publicly speak to it , '' the official said . The weapons are not American-made , but are funded and organized by the CIA . They started to reach rebels about two weeks ago , the official said . The artillery was described as light weapons , some anti-tank weapons and ammunition . The Syrian National Coalition and the Free Syrian Army deny they have received weapons from the United States . `` We have some promises from the U.S. administration of shipment of weapons in a short period of time , but until now we have not received any , '' said Free Syrian Army Political and Media Coordinator Louay al-Mokdad . `` We have logistical help , but we did n't get weapons until now . We hope that in the next short period of time we will start receiving weapons , because we have promises from EU countries and the U.S. that they will help us and support us . '' The supply is in addition to the non-lethal aid that the United States has been providing the rebels since April , when the Obama administration first altered the nature of the aid to include items such as body armor , night vision goggles and other military equipment . The official insisted the effort has been in the works for some time , and did not start as an effort to appease those calling for more rebel aid during the new diplomatic initiative with Russia . Kerry hints at transfer . Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday during a Google+ Hangout discussion that `` many of the items that people complained were not getting to them are now getting to them . '' He did not elaborate on specifics . A spokeswoman for the National Security Council declined comment . `` We are n't able to inventory or provide timelines for every type of assistance we provide to the Syrian opposition , '' spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said . CNN could not reach members of the rebel forces early Thursday morning . Congress approved supply . The supply of weapons was approved by Congress after the Obama administration asserted the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons on a small scale . But no progress toward physically supplying the rebels had been reported since then . `` Some things have not been getting to the opposition as rapidly as one would have hoped , '' Kerry said Tuesday . CNN first reported on the plan to arm Syrian rebels with small arms and ammunition in June , but officials refused to lay out a time line on delivery . Obama 's national security team and members of Congress have repeatedly urged the president to increase direct aid for the rebels . They argue such a step would strengthen the hand of moderate members of the Syrian opposition , and make them less reliant on well-armed extremist elements within their ranks . Other developments . The latest developments come on the eve of new diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Russia , which begin Thursday in Geneva , Switzerland . Secretary Kerry will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for two days to discuss a Moscow proposal to avert a U.S.-led strike in Syria by having the Syrian government put its chemical weapons stockpile under international control . But as Russia continues to supply Bashar Al-Assad 's regime with weapons while the U.S. supplies the rebels , and Putin writes a piece in the New York Times questioning the authority of Obama 's call for military strikes , the baggage being brought to the negotiation table continues to pile up before talks have even begun .
Rebel groups say they have yet to receive weapons . Official : `` That is something we are not going to dispute '' The weapons are not American-made but are funded and organized by the CIA . We don't know where these arms come from, or who has them.