Turkey has temporarily closed crossings to and from Syria along its border due to fighting between opposition groups inside Syria , the Turkish Commerce and Customs Ministry said Wednesday . The announcement came shortly after the United States and Britain suspended non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition . Syrian National Coalition spokesman Louay Safi called the move `` a temporary measure to sort out the situation in northern Syria , '' where the Free Syrian Army lost a weapons depot to the Islamic Front in fighting in recent days . The aid consisted of wood , medical items , non-military equipment like generators and communication equipment , he said . `` I ca n't give you a particular date but I hope this can be solved , '' he added . Several U.S. administration officials said Wednesday that the fate of Salim Idris , a top rebel commander supported by the West , was uncertain in the wake of the seizure of the warehouse . U.S. officials said he had left Syria . They added that the seizure of the depot , a warehouse , could prove key in shaping how the United States deals with the Syrian opposition . U.S . Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford is expected to travel this week to the region to meet with opposition members . The officials said U.S. authorities were considering expanding their contacts with moderate Islamists who are not affiliated with al Qaeda . The Islamic Front , which announced its formation last month , is an alliance that includes tens of thousands of fighters from some of Syria 's most powerful Islamist groups , including Ahrar al-Sham , Suqour al-Sham , the Islamic Army and the Tawhid Brigade . The groups control territory in key areas across Syria and have been fighting forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad along the critical lines of Damascus and Aleppo , among other places . The front 's formation has diminished the stature of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army and its leadership abroad , the Syrian National Coalition , as leaders inside the country have sought to distance themselves from a command structure criticized for failing to serve the opposition 's needs on the ground . The alliance was formed after the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant -- known as ISIS -- succeeded as the predominant military force in northern Syria , marginalizing and even fighting Syria 's more moderate factions . ISIS 's largely foreign fighting force poses a threat to rebel groups competing for funding , resources and influence in Syria . The U.S. government suspended its aid Wednesday amid the instability near the Turkish border , State Department officials said . The suspension does not affect humanitarian aid efforts , they said . The UK Foreign Office , in a statement , said it was `` investigating events that took place over the weekend . While that investigation is under way , we will not be making any deliveries of equipment to the Supreme Military Council . `` We intend to resume support as soon as we and the SMC are satisfied the conditions on the ground allow the SMC to take safe delivery of equipment provided . '' The blockage of passage to Turkey could have implications for refugees . The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported in September that nearly 500,000 Syrians had registered or were awaiting registration as refugees in Turkey , and those numbers have been increasing since . Meanwhile , a huge storm dubbed Alexa descended Tuesday and Wednesday on the region , dropping snow and rain whipped by high winds onto Turkey , Syria , Jordan and Lebanon , with the latter most affected , the UNHCR said . In the Bekaa in eastern Lebanon , where thousands of Syrian refugees were living in tents , emergency crews were distributing aid , it said in a statement . `` Reports from Syria and parts of Turkey spoke of similarly grim conditions there , '' it said . The Syrian conflict began in March 2011 after government forces cracked down on peaceful protesters during the Arab Spring movement and is now a full-blown civil war . The United Nations estimates that more than 100,000 people have died in the conflict .
U.S. officials : Fate of rebel commander Salim Idris is uncertain . Opposition spokesman calls the move `` a temporary measure '' Aid consists of wood , medical items , non-military equipment like generators , he says .