The Middle East

Israel vows to stop Syria’s S-300 missile shield from becoming operational

Netanyahu tells European foreign ministers that if the Russian missile systems get into Syria, Israel's 'entire airspace will become a no-fly zone' and therefore it 'cannot stand idly by.'

Voice of Russia,

31 May, 2013

Israel's National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror sketched out what Jerusalem's "red line" is vis-à-vis the S-300 missile systems Russia intends to send to Syria before the 27 European Union ambassadors in Israel.

Two diplomats who were in the room during the briefing last Thursday, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was a closed event, said that Amidror stressed Israel will act "to prevent the S-300 missiles from becoming operational" on Syrian soil. This message was also conveyed by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon when he said on Tuesdaythat if the missiles reach Syria "Israel will know what to do."

Amidror's briefing, the diplomats said, made it clear that Israel estimates that sooner or later Russia will provide Syria with the missile systems and for reasons unrelated to Israel - namely Russian rivalry with the U.S., Britain and France on the Syrian issue. "We understood from Amidror that the Israeli government thinks the missile transfer cannot be prevented, therefore it will act against them after the transfer but before they become operational," one of the diplomats said.

Syria gets first batch of Russia S-300 missiles – Assad

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has confessed in an interview to AL-Manar TV Lebanon that the government has received the first batch of Russia-made long-range surface-to-air missiles, Israeli media report.

Assad added the next shipment of advanced S-300 missile systems was coming in shortly. Al-Manar is expected to publish the complete interview later today.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov previously told journlaists he wasn’t in a position to either confirm or deny the reports that claim the first S-300 missiles had already reached Syria. He added however Russia was indeed planning to supply Damascus with its missile systems.

Mr. Ryabkov said he realized this news came as a wakeup call for Russia’s global partners, but underscored Moscow was not going to revise its stance.

Moscow hopes US, EU will ‘rein in’ opposition Syria National Coalition – Foreign Minister Lavrov

Moscow hopes that the US and EU will be able to “rein in” opposition’s National Syrian Coalition, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Moscow hopes that the US and EU will be able to “rein in” opposition’s National Syrian Coalition, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

He condemned the opposition forces for urging a regime change in Syria, a call that can abort the planned Geneva peace conference.

Mr. Lavrov said he hoped Americans and Europeans would show some common sense and restrain the most aggressive of opposition elements. He also criticized those who were trying to present the NSC as the sole force capable of speaking out on Syria’s behalf.

Israel "checks" report Syria received Russian S-300

Israel is looking into reports on Thursday that Syria had received the first shipment of the advanced Russian air defence system S-300, an Israeli official said.

"I have no information beyond what has been reported, which we are looking into," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, after a Lebanese newspaper quoted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as saying a shipment had arrived.

Israel, which has made veiled threats to prevent S-300 missiles from becoming operational in Syria, has lobbied the Russians against the sale and said on Tuesday that shipments had not yet been made. Israel's airspace would be within range of the system if it is deployed in Syria, a northern neighbour.

Russia S-300 missile exports may stave off Syrian invasion – diplomat

Russian deliveries of S-300 defensive surface-to-air missile systems to Damascus could help prevent any possible intervention by external forces in the Syrian conflict, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said at a press conference in Moscow.

"In our opinion, these deliveries play a stabilizing role. We believe that such steps will largely help stop certain hotheads from turning it into a possible international conflict, from considering a scenario that would make this conflict international with the involvement of external forces that are not averse to such ideas," he said.

"We are speaking about deliveries of defensive weapons to the government of this country with the aim of protecting facilities and contingents of soldiers," Ryabkov said.

Moscow's envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko on S-300 exports to Syria: Russia will fulfill signed contracts

Russia will continue honoring its commitments as part of military-technological cooperation with Syria, Moscow's envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko told journalists on Tuesday, commenting on the future of the contract to deliver Russian S-300 air defense missile systems to Damascus.

"We will fulfill the signed contracts. Russia has been acting in total compliance with international law," the high-ranking Russian diplomat said.

According to Western news reports, Russia allegedly decided not to fulfill its S-300 contract with Syria seeking to accommodate Israel's request.

"We have a reliable system of exports control," Grushko said.

"We have done nothing that could change the situation in Syria. The weapons we have delivered there are defensive," he said.

Assad promises gov’t presence at Syria conference

Syria is intent to take part in the second round of Geneva peace talks, President Bashar al-Assad said, stressing the government hoped to see concrete results.

Speaking in an interview with Al-Manar TV Lebanon, the Syrian president also criticized the leadership of the Syrian major opposition bloc. The full interview will be available later today.

Assad confirms Hezbollah presence in Syria

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has confirmed that militants of the extremist Lebanon-based Hezbollah movement had infiltrated the country.

Speaking with Lebanon’s Al-Manar TV channel, the president confessed that groups of Hezbollah Islamists were fighting in the border area. He stressed however they had no part in the counter-rebel offensive, which was carried out entirely by the government forces.

Assad vowed the regime would be fighting insurgents till the last rebel. He condemned Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar for funding Syrian opposition forces and blamed these governments for helping some 100,000 mercenaries from a variety of Arab countries into the war-torn Syria.

Bashar al-Assad confirmed that the regime was open for peace talks, which are set to be held in Geneva, but added he didn’t pin much hope on them.

Moscow threatens to speed missiles to Syria but also offers to delay

Russia could speed up delivery of anti-aircraft missiles to Syria if the West intervenes, but also floated the idea of suspending the shipment, Russian media reported on Friday, as Moscow set out its negotiating position ahead of peace talks.

Reuters,

31 May, 2013

A Russian arms industry source was quoted by Interfax news agency as threatening to hasten delivery of the hotly-contested S-300 missiles if the West were to impose a no-fly zone or Israel were to launch new air strikes.

However the source also "did not exclude that the delivery of the S-300 to Syria could be frozen for a period of time" Interfax reported, comparing the move to the delivery of another weapons system that was suspended by Moscow.

Russia's arms industry is firmly controlled by the state, and it is unlikely the unidentified source would be authorized to speak without the blessing of the Kremlin.

Russia and the West are staking out positions with parallel threats to arm the warring sides ahead of a peace conference next month, the first attempt in a year by the global powers on either side in Syria's civil war to look for a way to end it.

French President Francois Hollande said it was unacceptable for Moscow to talk about arming the Syrian government ahead of the conference, even as he repeated his own threats to arm the rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle also criticized Russia for discussing arms sales to Assad.

Yuri Ushakov, President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy aide, said it was the EU's decision last week to lift its embargo on arming the rebels that was "not conducive to preparations for such an important international event" as the Geneva conference.

Paris and London say they wanted the embargo lifted ahead of the peace talks to gain leverage over Assad and Moscow.

In another signal that Moscow is prepared to arm Assad, the head of aircraft maker MiG was quoted as saying he still plans to send Syria at least 10 MiG-29 fighters under a 2007 contract.

WORRYING

Particularly worrying for the West is Moscow's plans to fulfill a 2010 contract to send Assad the S-300, an advanced anti-aircraft missile system that could make it far more dangerous to impose a no-fly zone, and could threaten planes deep inside the air space of Israel or NATO-member Turkey.

The Russian arms industry source said the S-300 missiles could not arrive in Syria for months, but the pace of delivery would be determined by the behavior of Assad's foes.

"Regarding the deliveries of the S-300, they can begin no earlier than the autumn," the source said. "Technically it's possible, but much will depend on how the situation develops in the region and the position of Western countries."

Without naming Israel specifically, Interfax paraphrased the source as saying: "Air attacks on Syria from the side of a neighboring government or the introduction of a so-called no-fly zone above Syria may serve as a pretext for speeding up the deliveries of the S-300."

Israel, which has bombed Syria at least three times in recent months to prevent Assad from transferring arms to his Lebanese Hezbollah militia allies, has urgently called on Moscow to scrap the S-300 deliveries, as have Western countries.

France's Hollande set out his country's position - shared with Britain and other allies - that the West must be able to arm the rebels as long as Moscow is arming Assad.

"We cannot accept that when we are preparing Geneva 2 (talks) with the idea of finding a political solution, that Russia is delivering weapons at the same time to Assad's regime, and that we should be (prevented) from delivering weapons to the opposition," Hollande said.

"To ensure the political solution happens, you should never put aside the option of military pressure, and in this case it is lifting the EU embargo."

"PRETTY GOOD AIR DEFENCES"

Russian daily Vedomosti has reported that Assad bought four units of the modernized S-300PMU-2 system for nearly $1 billion.

The S-300 can track targets up to 300 km (190 miles) away and can hit at a range of up to 200 km, sparking Israeli fears that Assad's reach could extend well into the Jewish state and threaten flights over its main commercial airport near Tel Aviv.

Western experts say the missiles would enhance Assad's Russian-supplied arsenal of short-range Pantsir missiles and medium-range BUK missile systems.

A source close to the Russian Defense Ministry said Assad would use his other air Defense systems to guard the S-300, giving him "pretty good" air defenses.

Russia has been Assad's most powerful diplomatic ally in a conflict that has killed more than 80,000 people since March 2011. Along with China, it has vetoed three U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at pressuring Assad to end violence.

RIA news agency quoted the head of MiG as saying he was discussing terms for the fighter jets with a Syrian delegation in Moscow now. It did not say when delivery was expected.

Russia had planned to begin delivering last year on a $600 million contract for 12 MiG-29MM2 fighter jets signed in 2007, with an option for 12 more. The jets are to be equipped with air-to-air and air-to-surface rockets, making them a tough enemy if a "no-fly zone" were imposed.

The source close to the Defense Ministry said Syrian troops would need to be trained on the S-300 in Russia's southern province of Astrakhan.

Former Russian Air Force Commander General Anatoly Kornukov told Interfax such training would need a minimum of two to four weeks. The S-300s themselves would be ready for use "within five minutes after the delivery", he said.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz has quoted National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror as telling European diplomats that Israel would "prevent the S-300 missiles from becoming operational".


See also coverage from the Guardian HERE