Olmert in Moscow to Stop Arms Sales
Media Line News Agency
October 10, 2008
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday traveled to Moscow on a two-day trip, which will be one of his last as prime minister as he is poised to step down after facing multiple charges of corruption. The discussions will focus on Israeli concerns regarding Russian sales of advanced military equipment to Syria and Iran, international news agencies reported.
Although Israeli and Syria are currently involved in indirect peace talks with Turkey as interlocutor, the two countries are still formally in a state of war since the 1967 War in which Israel captured the strategically located Golan Heights from Syria. Damascus has expressed interest in buying the S-300 anti-aircraft missile from Russia, which would dramatically improve the country´s air defense capabilities.
Israel enjoys air supremacy over its neighboring states due to its advanced American-made fighter jets.
Jerusalem fears that Syria will eventually transfer the missiles to its Lebanese ally Hizbullah. Since the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Israel has relied on overflights of Lebanese territory for intelligence collection on Hizbullah, a strategy that would involve greater risks if the missiles were to be transferred to Hizbullah. While there has been no official Russian response to Syria´s interest in acquiring the S-300, Moscow has confirmed that it intends to sell the system to Iran.
Iran´s President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad has on numerous occasions threatened to destroy Israel, and Jerusalem fears he intends to do so with nuclear missiles developed with Russian assistance. In 1981 Israel destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor in Osirak in an air raid. However, if Iran receives the Russian anti aircraft missiles, it would add another concern for Israeli military planners planning such as strike, as they already have to deal with a greater distance to Iran than to Iraq, as well as multiple and heavily fortified targets.
Although Israeli and Syria are currently involved in indirect peace talks with Turkey as interlocutor, the two countries are still formally in a state of war since the 1967 War in which Israel captured the strategically located Golan Heights from Syria. Damascus has expressed interest in buying the S-300 anti-aircraft missile from Russia, which would dramatically improve the country´s air defense capabilities.
Israel enjoys air supremacy over its neighboring states due to its advanced American-made fighter jets.
Jerusalem fears that Syria will eventually transfer the missiles to its Lebanese ally Hizbullah. Since the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Israel has relied on overflights of Lebanese territory for intelligence collection on Hizbullah, a strategy that would involve greater risks if the missiles were to be transferred to Hizbullah. While there has been no official Russian response to Syria´s interest in acquiring the S-300, Moscow has confirmed that it intends to sell the system to Iran.
Iran´s President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad has on numerous occasions threatened to destroy Israel, and Jerusalem fears he intends to do so with nuclear missiles developed with Russian assistance. In 1981 Israel destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor in Osirak in an air raid. However, if Iran receives the Russian anti aircraft missiles, it would add another concern for Israeli military planners planning such as strike, as they already have to deal with a greater distance to Iran than to Iraq, as well as multiple and heavily fortified targets.
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