"But Sultan reportedly has allies of his own: notably the intelligence agencies of pro-American Sunni Muslim Arab countries such Saudi Arabia and Egypt, according to Lebanese newspapers. These countries might have an interest in supporting Sunni Palestinian militants as a possible counter-balance to Hizballah, the Shia Muslim militia that is currently trying to bring down the Saudi and American-backed Lebanese government. Though there is no known connection between Sultan and the Americans, he and his men carry the latest in American-made light assault weapons."