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.

VIDEO: Turkey builds wall along borders with Syria in northern latakia

Turkey continues to carry out construction works at the borders with Syria in northern latakia in what can be viewed as a unilateral demarcation of borders.

Heavy machineries, trucks and bulldozers were spotted digging up grooves in order to erect a wall all the way to the maritime point separating the two countries i.e. al-Samra village on the Mediterranean.

Turkey has deployed 12 observation outposts in northern Syria to monitor the de-escalation zone agreement as per Astana talks with the other guarantor states; Russia and Iran.

The Turkish government has been involved in supporting militants fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad since the outbreak of the uprising in 2011.

According to Anadolu Agency, Syrian rebels finished withdrawing all their heavy weapons from the front lines in the northwestern province of Idlib on Monday.

This comes as part of a deal reached between Russia and Turkey to demilitarize the front lines between Syrian government forces and the opposition in and around the province.

Naji al-Mustafa, spokesman for the National Front for Liberation, a Turkish-backed umbrella group, said Sunday the alliance had unanimously agreed to implement the deal reached last month and expected to demilitarize 15-20 kilometers (9-12 miles) along the front lines by Oct. 15.

VIDEO: Golan Druze rally in support of Assad

Dozens of Arab Druze who live in the Occupied Golan Heights have gathered at the Syria-Israel borders to show support for the Syrian President and celebrate the final stages of the bloody war.

The celebratory rally was received with joy and mutual pride by the Syrian Army soldiers just a few meters away, who waved back and chanted loyalty to Assad.

This also comes as the country celebrates the 45th anniversary of October War where the Syrian forces managed to liberate huge chunk of territories from the Israeli occupation.

The war, which was led by the late Syrian leader Hafez Assad, retains a special significance for the Syrians who, ever since, regard the Golan Heights as an occupied Syrian land that must be eventually restored.

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.

Watch MT-12 "Rapira" anti-tank gun in action in Syria

Syrian Army soldiers have expressed deep satisfaction with using the MT-12 "Rapira" anti-tank gun for hunting down vehicles and barricades of jihadi groups across the country.

Commonly known as "the sniper cannon", the MT-12 "Rapira" features a new smoothbore gun, the 100 mm 2A29 gun, as well as a redesigned carriage and gun shield to protect the crew from machine gun fire and shell splinters.

it was equipped with laser guidince device and night vision goggle.

The gun requires a crew of six: commander, driver of the towing vehicle, gun layer, loader, and two ammunition crewmen.