Israeli missile tests detected by Russian radars

Israel claims joint US missile launch in Mediterranean for 'target practice'

Israel says it carried out a “joint” US missile launch in the Mediterranean, having earlier claimed ignorance. Russian radars detected two ballistic rockets fired in the region on Tuesday, sparking widespread speculation over who was behind the launch.

RT,

3 September, 2013

Israel says it carried out a “joint” US missile launch in the Mediterranean, having earlier claimed ignorance. Russian radars detected two ballistic rockets fired in the region on Tuesday, sparking widespread speculation over who was behind the launch.

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A spokesperson for the Israeli army confirmed that a launch of a missile had been carried out 9:15am local time (06:15 GMT), adding that US forces in the Mediterranean had been given prior warning of the drill. 



A fighter jet launched an Ankor-type (“Sparrow”) missile as part of a drill to test the Israeli missile defense system. However, earlier, when the Russian government announced it had detected the firing of "two ballistic objects" in the area, Israel insisted it had no “information on this issue yet.” 



Despite Israeli claimed of a “joint US” missile launch, the American Navy maintained that no rockets were launched by US forces in the region. 



"No missiles were fired from US ships in the Mediterranean," said the spokesman, who made no further comment on the matter. 

Other members of the international community were quick to follow suit with France, UK and Italy denying any knowledge of the test launch. NATO said it was investigating the incident. 

The Pentagon later admitted that the Israeli missile test in the Mediterranean was carried out “with technical support of the US Defense Department.”

The test was also “pre-planned,” according to the US Defense Department spokesman George Little quoted by Itar-Tass.

The Israeli Defense Ministry confirmed a US defense agency took part in a “successful flight test of the new version of the Sparrow target missile” in an e-mail statement to RT Arabic.

“Israel’s Missile Defense Organization and the US Missile Defense Agency officials conducted the flight test. The main contractor for the integration and development of the Sparrow is Rafael and the main contractor of the Arrow Weapon System is MLM of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in conjunction with Boeing,” the statement explained.

The Russian Defense Ministry initially reported that “two ballistic objects” were picked up on radars in the central Mediterranean and were moving towards the East. Later, citing a security source inside the Syrian government, RIA Novosti reported that the rockets had fallen into the sea. 

Meanwhile, Syria’s missile detection system did not pick up any rockets landing on Syrian territory, a security source told Lebanese channel al-Manar TV.

Tipping the balance?

Tensions are running high in the Mediterranean as world powers discuss possible military intervention in Syria after the reported use of chemical weapons in a Damascus suburb on August 21. 



The Syrian government has rejected claims of its complicity in the opposition-controlled Damascus suburb of Ghouta and has called on the UN to protect it from western aggression. In a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Assad regime urged the UN to “maintain its role as a safety valve to prevent the absurd use of force out of the frame of international legitimacy.” 



Russia has slammed US plans to launch a military strike on Syria, as they would thwart attempts to end the conflict peacefully. 



"If the action announced by the US president – to the great regret of all of us – does in fact take place... it will put off the chances of [holding] this conference for a long time, if not forever," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. 



Moreover, Syrian President Bashar Assad has warned that a military strike on Syria by the West would send the situation spiraling out of control and trigger a regional conflict. 



“The Middle East is barrel of powder and today the flames are creeping closer. It is not just a question of the Syrian response, but what else might happen after the first [Western] air strike,” Assad told French newspaper Le Figaro.

Syria tensions rise as Israel test-fires missile defence system

Sparrow target missile launch triggers alerts across region, and Binyamin Netanyahu says attacks on Israel 'not advisable'

the Guardian,

3 September, 2013

Israel fired a missile on Tuesday to test a new defence system, triggering alerts across a region that is braced for impending international military strikes against Syria.

The Israeli defence ministry confirmed it had launched a Sparrow target missile at 9.15am local time. It said the test of the Arrow anti-missile system was successful.

The exercise was conducted jointly with the United States, according to Israel. However, a spokesman for the US navy European headquarters told Reuters: "No missiles were fired from US ships in the Mediterranean."

Russia sounded the alert, saying its radars at Armavir, near the Black Sea, had detected the launch of two ballistic "objects" in the area, fired from the central Mediterranean towards the east.

A Syrian source told Lebanese television that nothing had been detected by its early warning system.

The Israeli defence ministry said in a statement: "The experiment tested enhanced capabilities of a new type of target missile from the Sparrow series. Arrow anti-missile defence systems, including radars and a command and control system, were also tested."

It added: "The Sparrow missile successfully launched and performed its planned trajectory, in according with the test plan."

It was detected and tracked by the Arrow III missile defence system. "All the elements of the system performed according to their operational configuration."

Israel has redeployed most of its anti-missile systems to the north of the country over the past week amid fears that the Syrian regime could launch attacks on its neighbour – with whom it is still technically at war – following US strikes.

The US-funded missile defence systems are effective at intercepting rockets, but Israel acknowledges that it does not have sufficient capacity to protect the country in the face of a sustained onslaught from Syria or Lebanon.

On Tuesday the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, repeated previous warnings against attacks on Israel. "The reality around us is changing. I want to say to anyone who wants to harm us, it is not advisable," he said. Israel has promised it will respond with force to any attack.

Last week Netanyahu authorised the call-up of a limited number of army reservists in the expectation that the US could launch strikes over the weekend. Thousands of Israelis flocked to distribution depots to collect gas masks.

However, since Barack Obama's announcement on Saturday that he would seek authorisation from Congress before initiating military action, the mood in Israel has calmed. Most military analysts say retaliatory action by the Syrian regime is unlikely, though possible.

The US is expected to take action against Syria after it said the regime crossed a "red line" drawn by Obama over the use of chemical weapons against civilians.

See also Haaretz