Saudi Arabia has been supplying Syrian rebels battling the regime of President Bashar Assad with arms bought from Croatia, according to The New York Times.

Citing unnamed U.S. and western officials, the newspaper reported late Monday that the Saudi-financed "large purchase of infantry weapons" was part of an "undeclared surplus" of arms left over from the Balkan wars in the 1990s and that they began reaching anti-regime fighters via Jordan in December.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday slammed "extremists" within the Syrian opposition who he said were blocking the start of dialogue in the war-torn country by making unrealistic demands.

Speaking hours before meeting new U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for the first time in Berlin, Lavrov said that recent faint hopes that dialogue was possible between the opposition and the regime of Bashar Assad had dissipated.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi urged Lebanese politicians on Tuesday to resign if the 1960's electoral law was adopted in the upcoming elections, pointing out that the talks he will hold with Russian officials during his trip to Moscow will discuss peace in the Middle East.

“We salute Russia's calls for drawing an end to wars in Lebanon, Syria and the region,” al-Rahi said upon his arrival to Moscow.

Syrian National Coalition chief Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib said Monday that the Syrian opposition will attend the Friends of Syria conference in Rome this week, after an earlier decision to boycott the meeting.

In a statement on his Facebook page Khatib said his group will go to Rome for Thursday's meeting after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary William Hague "promised specific aid to alleviate the suffering of our people."

The United States sent its top sanctions official on a four-country tour this week as it seeks to bolster support of international economic sanctions against Iran and Syria.

David Cohen, Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, is visiting Iraq, Israel, Turkey and Britain for talks with government officials and members of the financial sector, the Treasury Department said in a brief statement.

In rebel-held Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, opponents of President Bashar Assad's regime hold local elections despite daily bombardment, putting into practice the democracy they have been deprived of for decades.

"For the first time in 40 years, we are voting freely," said Khodr Orfali, a former lawyer who became politically active during Syria's 23-month revolt against President Bashar Assad.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati revealed that all aid being sent to Syria is purchased in Lebanese markets, stressing again on the cabinet's policy of disassociation towards the neighboring country's events.

"Lebanon's economy has certainly been negatively affected by Syria's conflict particularly in the fields of tourism and transportation,” Miqati told CNN in an interview that aired on Monday according to the PM's office.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday appealed to the Syrian opposition to reconsider their decision to boycott talks with foreign powers in Rome this week.

"I would urge the Syrian opposition to join us," Kerry told a news conference in London after talks with British Foreign Secretary William Hague at the start of his first overseas trip since taking office.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Monday warned that the situation in the country will deteriorate should the June parliamentary elections be delayed.

“Wrong accusations are being launched against several political forces concerning the Orthodox Gathering law, but we have already proposed several other draft laws,” said Gemayel at a press conference held after the weekly meeting of his party's political bureau in Saifi.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stated on Monday that Syria's war is more significant than the different Lebanese political factions, urging the neighboring country's opposition “not to fall in the trap of cutting all communication with Russia”.

“We call for an actual application of the policy of disassociation towards Syria's events,” Jumblat said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website, explaining that “the higher national interest requires a reconsideration of this policy”.