Russia to supply missiles to Syria

[CougarKing]

That's gonna do nothing to warm relations between Israel and Syria.

Russia to supply missiles to Syria

Russia plans to supply air-defense missile systems valued at $250 million to seven countries including Syria, Libya and Venezuela, Vedomosti reported, citing an unidentified Russian Technologies Corp official.

The Moscow-based newspaper reported that Russia had started fulfilling orders of 200 S-125 systems that were due to be delivered during the next three years.

Russia will ship about 70 missile systems to Egypt, and will also supply Myanmar, Vietnam and Turkmenistan with the systems, the paper said.

On Monday, US officials said that they wanted answers from Russia about whether it was selling advanced surface-to-air missiles to Iran.

A senior military intelligence official said that while Moscow has sent out conflicting responses to reports on sales of long-range S-300 missiles, the United States believes they are occurring.

Russia's state arms export agency said Monday it was supplying Iran with defensive weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, but did not say whether they include sophisticated long-range S-300 missiles.

A day earlier Israeli officials categorically denied Iranian press reports that Russia would soon begin delivery of the state-of-the-art anti-missile system that could make it considerably harder to attack the Islamic republic's nuclear facilities.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Israel had been assured by senior Russian officials that these reports were "baseless," and that the Kremlin stood by the agreement, reached with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during his visit there in October, not to sell weapons in the region that would "tip the strategic balance."

AP

 

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Umm... Russia (or the soviets) have always supplied Syria with missiles.
And it really hasn't done them one ounce of good.

When Israel decided to dispose of Syria's North Korean nuclear facility...... POOF... up it went - and the Syrians did a dandy job of removing all traces of it ever having existed AND nary a protest about it.

Sophistivcated weapons in the hands of babes will do.... nothing.  You need well trained, motivated soldiers to ensure all the gee whilickers kinda kit delivers on all the promisses... so, unless, Russia provides the personnel to make things fly, I don't figure this will do much good.