Russia’s Delivery of S-300 Air Defense System to Syria Is Still on the Table

FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

Russia’s Delivery of S-300 Air Defense System to Syria Is Still on the Table

April 23, 2018 (EIRNS)—Still very much on the table is possible Russian deliveries of the S-300 air defense system to Syria. According to the TASS press review, this morning, this issue which “used to be primarily a political angle,” has almost been resolved as Russia is about to start its deliveries. The report came specifically from Kommersant with reference to military and diplomatic sources.

The Syrian government originally contracted for the S-300 system in 2010, but the Russians later agreed to suspend the deal at the request of Israel. Kommersant indicates, this time around, that if Russia goes ahead with delivery, it’ll be done free of charge. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed today, however, that no decisions have yet been made.

According to the Kommersant account, the S-300s will be used as a basis for the creation of a layered air defense system in Syria as quickly as possible to counteract potential strikes by the U.S.-led coalition and Israel. Chairman of the Federation Council’s Committee for Defense and Security (and former chief of Russia’s Aerospace Forces) Sen. Viktor Bondarev believes that

“the presence of efficient defense equipment in any sovereign country will sober up some loose cannons not just among NATO military and high-ranking officers,”

according to the Kommersant report.

Initially, plans are to keep Russian military advisors on the ground to coordinate actions of their Syrian counterparts, sources told Kommersant, and that if, for example, Israel decided to attack the S-300’s locations, the consequences “will be catastrophic for all sides.”