Russian official says Syria has right to use all weapons to defend country

The Head of the Defense Committee at Duma Council Vladimir Shamanov said on Tuesday that Syria has the right to use all of its weapons to defend the country and maintain its territorial sovereignty.

In a statement to journalists on Tuesday, Shamanov said that the Russian-supplied S-300 air defense system are highly protective and Syria has the right to use them in order to protect its national interests.

He noted that the Syrian soldiers have completed the training exercises necessary to use the S-300 missiles independently.

The Russian official did not specify whether or not Moscow will send more military advisers to instruct the Syrian Army on the use of the S-300 system.

Shamanov’s comments come shortly after the Mayor of Jerusalem said that Israel will attack the S-300 systems if Syria downs an Israel aircraft during an attack.

Syrian military says ‘no Israeli attacks’ since delivery of S-300 system

The Israeli Air Force has yet to strike Syria since the Russian Federation delivered the S-300 air defense system to the Syrian government forces, a military source in Damascus told Al-Masdar News on Sunday. 

According to the military source, the Israeli Air Force has avoided violating Syria’s airspace from either the occupied Golan Heights or Lebanon since the Syrian military received the S-300 air defense system in early October.

The source said that the Israeli Air Force has often flown close to the border from eastern Lebanon, but they would later turn back before violating Syria’s airspace.

Last week, an Israeli official told the Reuters News Agency that the IDF has attacked Syria after the downing of the Russian IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft on September 17th; however, they did not specify the location.

Israel’s Channel One TV also claimed that the IDF struck an Iranian shipment that was intended for Hezbollah.

When asked about this claim, the Syrian military source denied any recent attacks from the Israeli Defense Forces or their air force.

The source would add that the Russian military is still training the Syrian air defense units to use the S-300 system in rural Latakia and western Hama.

Russia supplied Syria with most ‘modernized’ S-300 system – report

Moscow has delivered advanced S-300 air defense missiles to Syria to protect the country’s troops deployed in the war-torn Arab country in the wake of last month’s downing of a Russian reconnaissance plane during an Israeli airstrike in Latakia.

The three battalion sets of S-300PM-2 air defense missile handed over to Syria by Russia are more advanced compared to their conventional counterparts, the newspaper Izvestiya wrote, citing Defense Ministry sources in Moscow.

The S-300PM-2 system is equipped with a more advanced radar station, an improved target illumination and guidance station (firing radar) and a mobile command post.

Launchers have also been upgraded enabling the use of more advanced, powerful and long-range missiles, compared to the “classic” S-300.

Unlike conventional S-300s, the modernized air defense system can fire medium-range tactical ballistic missiles, while retaining its ability to destroy aerial targets up to 250 kilometers (155 miles) away.

The S-300PM-2 also boasts improved anti-jamming capability allowing it to operate in conditions of electronic warfare.

Contrary to media reports, the S-300PM-2 currently deployed in Syria will not be operated by Iranians because the only specialists who can operate this system are in Russia, the source told the newspaper.

Israel and US military forces training against S-300 air defense system – report

The United States (U.S.) and Israel have allegedly sent a secret military group to Ukraine to train against the S-300 air defense system, Israel’s Hadashot TV reported yesterday.

In early October, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that they had successfully delivered the S-300 air defense system to Syria.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the move to supply Syria with the S-300 system was purely defensive and should not threaten any neighboring country.

Since the Russian delivery of the S-300 system, Israel has not bombed or entered Syrian airspace.

Israel to continue Syria strikes despite S-300 delivery: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told a top Russian diplomat that Israel will continue to launch airstrikes against 'hostile targets' inside Syria in spite that the Syrian Army has recently received S-300 missile system.

Speaking at a press conference held in Jerusalem with Maxim Akimov on Tuesday, Netanyahu reiterated his state's right to fight what he called 'Iranian attempts to entrench itself militarily in Syria and channel advanced weaponry to its Lebanese ally, the Hezbollah terror group".

"Despite the delivery of the S-300 air defense systems to the Syrian military, Israel was committed as a matter of self-defense to continue its “legitimate activity in Syria against Iran and its proxies, which state their intention to destroy us,” Netanyahu said.

Tensions between Russia and Israel have escalated since the downing of IL-20 plane on September 18 where Israeli warplanes were held responsible for the tragic incident.

In the wake of the incident, Russia decided to supply the Syrian Army with the advanced S-300 air defense missile systems in order to boost its defensive capability and protect the Russian forces in Syria.

Israel trying to show that S-300 in Syria did not change balance of powers - expert

Israel will continue air operations against Iranian forces and Lebanon's Hezbollah group despite Russia's delivery of S-300 missile systems to Syria, former Russian Ambassador to Damascus and political analyst Alexander Zotov told a roundtable in Moscow on Monday.

"There is a narrative in Israel, among experts, among political analysts and in the media, that is being fueled by statements of Defense Minister [Avigdor] Lieberman and even of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu himself, that generally 'we [Israel] are not going to deviate from our course of responding to any actions by Iran and Hezbollah which present a potential threat to us, and no one and nothing can stop us'," Zotov said. 

"That is why many people in Israel think that there could be some kind of a demonstrative attack, maybe even at an imaginary facility, maybe far away from all those systems being deployed in Syria now, in order to avoid striking any facilities with Russian servicemen, in order to make it look like everything is fine and everything goes according to plan," he added.

The expert noted Israel should be able to understand how risky it is to carry out such operations without coordination with Russia. "In the situation when our air defense systems are given to Syria, the responsibility for retaliatory strikes will lie with Syrians, and we will thus get a room for maneuver," Zotov said. "Because what Syrians do represents a natural right of any country to defend its territory from an outside threat," he added

Russia delivered to Syria Three S-300PM battalion free of charge - Reports

Russia has donated to Syria three battalion sets of S-300PM missile systems of eight launchers each, a military diplomatic source told TASS on Monday.

“On October 1, three battalion sets of S-300PM systems of eight launchers each were delivered to Syria,” the source said.

“These systems were previously deployed at one of the Russian aerospace forces’ regiments which now uses the S-400 Triumf systems. The S-300 systems underwent capital repairs at Russian defense enterprises, are in good condition and are capable of performing combat tasks,” the source said, adding that the S-300PM systems were handed over to the Syrian side free of charge.

According to the source, along with the launchers Russia delivered more than 100 surface-to-air guided missiles for each battalion.

An agreement on supplies of Russian S-300 missile defense systems to Syria were signed as far back as 2010 but was later frozen. Following the incident with the Russia Ilyushin-20 reconnaissance plane over the Mediterranean, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on September 24, 2018 that Russia would supply S-300 systems to the Syrian army to reinforce its combat capacities. On October 2, Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin that the S-300 systems had reached Syria.

On Tuesday, Shoigu said Russia had supplied Syria with 49 pieces of equipment as part of the S-300 delivery intended to boost security of the Russian taskforce in that country. The equipment included radars, control vehicles and four launchers. According to the minister, the delivery was finished a day ago.

The S-300 is an air defense missile system able to eliminate advanced aircraft, including planes using stealth technology, medium-range ballistic missiles, tactical and cruise missiles, and also airborne early warning and control (AWACS/AEW&C) aircraft as well as reconnaissance and strike systems.

U.S. general: Supplying Syria with S-300 missiles 'needless escalation'

A senior U.S. general harshly slammed Russia for delivering S-300 air defense system to Syria as a result of downing IL-20 plane on September 18.

Army General Joseph Votel, who oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, described Russia's decision as a 'needless escalation" and a "knee-jerk response" to downing the Russian aircraft.

Votel went further by accusing Moscow of help shielding "nefarious activities" carried out by Iranian and Syrian forces through deploying the S-300 system.

The S-300 deployment "appears to be an effort to cover for Iranian and Syrian regime nefarious activities in Syria. So, again, I think this is a needless, needless escalation," Votel told reporters at the Pentagon.

In the same context, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, a member of Israel's security cabinet, acknowledged that the S-300 deployment was "a problematic matter for us."

"And it could be for the Americans too. This is a system which certainly makes things difficult for us and requires that solutions be found," Steinitz told Israel's Army Radio

Russia has decided to supply the Syrian Army with the advanced S-300 missiles after Israel was held responsible for downing a Russian IL-20 aircraft on September 18.

The tragic incident occurred while Israeli F-16s were carrying out air raids against Syrian Army positions in latakia city.

The first delivery of S-300 missiles has been unloaded in the Russian airbase of Hmiemim two days ago.

S-300 missiles in Syria can be destroyed, Israeli official says

An Israeli official said on Wednesday that Israeli Air Force can definitely defeat the S-300 missiles recently supplied to Syria.

“The operational abilities of the air force are such that those (S-300) batteries really do not constrain the air force’s abilities to act”, Tzachi Hanegbi, the country’s regional cooperation minister and a non-voting member of its security cabinet, said.

“You know that we have stealth fighters, the best planes in the world. These batteries are not even able to detect them”, Hanegbi added, referring to F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

Israel has been conducting air raids against positions it says they belong either to Iranian forces of Hezbollah group.

“We have clarified to the Syrians more than once that we will not step back from our commitment to prevent Iran’s entrenchment in Syria” he added.

“We were already forced, a few months ago, to destroy Syrian missile batteries, and I hope they won’t challenge us in the future”, Hanegbi commented in what can be seen as a padded threat to take action against the newly-supplied S-300 missile system.

Russia decided to provide Syria with the advanced S-300 air defense system after Israeli jets were held responsible for downing the IL-20 plane on September 18.

The Israeli Defense Forces denied the Russian claims, saying that the IAF did not hide behind any aircraft and that the Israeli aircraft were in Israeli airspace at the time of the downing of the Russian plane.

Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said that Israeli warplanes will carry on its strikes against positions in Syria despite of the fact that the Syrian Army is now in possession of S-300 air defense system.

Watch: S-300 missiles unloaded in Syria

Syria has received the advanced S-300 air defense missile system nearly two weeks after the Russian IL-20 plane was tragically shot down off the Syrian coast.

Last night, the first shipment of the advanced missiles was unloaded by a Russian cargo plane in the coastal airbase of Hmeimim.

The Syrian Army by then has received four S-300 air defense systems, as well as 49 devices which include radars, vehicles and launchers.

The Russian Defense Minister said that Syrian Army officers will undergo a training course to operate the S-300 missiles, in conjunction of establishing a unified system for the Syrian air defenses.

Russia declared it will supply the Syrian Army with the advanced missiles following the tragic downing of Russian IL-20 off the Syrian coast on September 18.

Even though the IL-20 was shot down by Syrian S-200 air defense missile by mistake, Russia held Israel completely responsible for the incident since the Israeli F-16 took cover of the IL-20; thus making it vulnerable to the Syrian air defenses.