Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that the Syrian rebels have obtained 50 stinger shoulder-launched missiles, stressing his insistence to work with opposition groups to help end the Syrian conflict.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that the Syrian rebels have obtained 50 stinger shoulder-launched missiles, stressing his insistence to work with opposition groups to help end the Syrian conflict.

Speaking after his meeting with Syria's former Prime Minister Riad Hijab, Lavrov said "the Syrian rebels have obtained 50 Stinger missiles from outside to hit (regime) jet fighters."

"Those who are supplying arms to the opposition are delivering systems that  are not intended for defense. There is confirmed information that on Syrian territory there are over 50 Stingers," he said.

"You know perfectly well what Stingers are intended for, all the more so that the leaders of the (rebel) Syrian Free Army have repeatedly said that civilian planes will be a legitimate target."

Lavrov, speaking at a joint news conference with Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh, said he had stressed in his talks with ex-premier Hijab the need to ensure that "no party exploits the situation to achieve military gain on the ground."

"I have met with Hijab and the goal of the meeting was to find a mechanism to stop the violence in Syria and save Syrian lives," Lavrov said, adding that    "Hijab was ready to listen to us and we will work with him and other Syrian parties."

The Russian foreign minister also told reporters that "Moscow backs the return to Syria of international monitors," while reiterating Moscow's "objections to US-led calls for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad ."

Lavrov is currently on a two-day visit to Jordan and is due to meet separately with King Abdullah II and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.