Syrian FM Says Russia to Deliver Advanced S300 Missiles

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Syrian FM Says Russia to Deliver Advanced S300 Missiles

Despite previous shipments being cancelled, Syrian foreign minister confident Russia will deliver advanced weapons.

Syria has asked Russia to bolster its supply of missiles. Speaking Wednesday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said that his country asked Russia to provide S300 missiles along with other high-quality systems.

The weapons are needed, he said, to enable Syria to fight the rebel groups seeking to unseat President Bashar al-Assad, as well as the radical Islamist group ISIS, which has already taken over large parts of Syria.

Some reports suggest that this not the first time Russia has provided Syria with the advanced S300 missiles. The last transfer was in September 2013, according to Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai, which said that the transfers took place despite statements by Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, that Russia would not provide Syria with the advanced anti-aircraft system.

According to defense officials, the Russian-made S-300s can engage 12 targets simultaneously at distances of 200 kilometers and heights of up to 27 kilometers.

In 2012, Israel convinced Russia to cancel an S300 sale to Syria, according to then-Defense Minister Ehud Barak. “Putin listened perfectly to what we said,” Barak told Army Radio, asserting that the 100-million U.S. dollar deal’s suspension was the outcome of talks between Russian and Israeli officials.

However, speaking to a Lebanese newspaper Wednesday, al-Muallem said that Syria has never received S300 missiles from Russia, but was confident that Russia would this time provide Damascus with the advanced systems.

Source: www.israelnationalnews.com

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