• Home
• /
• World

Syria gets Russian arms

Syria has received the first shipment of Russian missiles that are part of a more sophisticated air defence system, President Bashar Al Assad told Lebanon’s Hezbollah-owned TV channel, according to remarks released by the station on Thursday.

Assad’s comment on the arrival of the long-range S-300 air defence missiles in Syria could further ratchet up tensions in the region and undermine efforts to hold UN-sponsored talks with Syria’s warring sides.

Israel’s defence chief, Moshe Yaalon, said earlier this week that Russia’s plan to supply Syria with the weapons was a threat and that Israel was prepared to use force to stop the delivery.

The Al Manar TV, owned by the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, released Assad’s comments on the Russian missiles in print, through its breaking news service on Thursday morning.

“Syria has received the first shipment of Russian anti-aircraft S-300 rockets,” the TV quoted Assad as saying. The Syrian leader added: “All our agreements with Russia will be implemented and parts of them have already been implemented.”

An official at the station confirmed to the AP that the remarks were from the exclusive interview the TV was to air in full later on Thursday. The shipment of the missiles, if confirmed, comes just days after the European Union lifted an arms embargo on Syria, paving way for individual countries of the 27-member bloc to send weapons to rebels fighting to topple Assad’s regime.

The developments raise fears of an arms race — not just between Assad’s forces and the opposition fighters battling to topple his regime, but also in the wider Middle East.

Israel has carried out several airstrikes in Syria in recent months that are believed to have destroyed weapon shipments bound for Hezbollah, the Lebanese group that along with Iran and Russia is a staunch Assad ally. It is not clear whether Israeli warplanes entered Syrian airspace in these attacks.

With the Russian missiles in Syria’s possession, the Israeli air force’s ability to strike inside the Arab country could be limited since the S-300s would expand Syria’s capabilities, allowing it to counter airstrikes launched from foreign airspace as well.

The S-300s have a range of up to 200 kilometres and the capability to track and strike multiple targets simultaneously. Syria already possesses Russian-made air defences, and Israel is believed to have used long-distance bombs fired from Israeli or Lebanese airspace.

When Israeli warplanes struck near the capital of Damascus, targeting purported Iranian missiles intended for Hezbollah earlier this month, Syria did not respond. But on Wednesday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen TV that Damascus “will retaliate immediately” if Israel strikes Syrian soil again. It was the regime’s most serious warning to Israel since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011 but it was not clear if there was a link between Al Moallem’s remark and the Russian shipment.

Israel has long lobbied Moscow over the planned sale of S-300 air-defense missiles to Syria. However, on Tuesday, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said his government remained committed to the deal.

Monday’s decision by the EU to lift the arms embargo opened the possibility for individual countries to send weapons to Assad’s outgunned opponents, though there was no indication any single European country would send lethal weapons to the rebels anytime soon.

Britain and France, the main military powers in the EU, had pushed for the lifting of the embargo, arguing that Europe’s threat of arming the rebels would force Assad to negotiate in good faith.

Russia harshly criticised Europe’s decision, saying it undercuts international efforts to bring the opposing sides in Syrian conflict together for a peace conference.