The Washington Post reports that the CIA has begun delivering weapons to rebels in Syria, ending months of delay in lethal aid promised by the Obama administration.

The Washington Post quoted an unnamed Syrian opposition official, who said the CIA had begun delivering light weapons and ammunition to rebel groups in the past couple of weeks. Other reports say the US is helping to supply anti-tank weapons.

The CIA shipments are to flow through a network of clandestine bases in Turkey and Jordan. A spokesman for the Syrian Opposition Coalition said the deliveries were welcome, but not enough to turn the tide of the civil war.

Meanwhile the US State Department is shipping separate non-lethal aid to the rebels, including vehicles, sophisticated communications equipment and advanced combat medical kits. Analysts say the flow of aid marks a major escalation of the U.S. role in Syria's civil war.