Fear over Russian missiles
There was deep concern in Jerusalem this week, following Russia’s announcement on Tuesday that it will move ahead with delivery of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.
Russia claimed that the missiles will be a “stabilising factor” that could dissuade “hotheads” from entering the country’s civil war – meaning that it believes they will prevent foreign intervention.
But according to Israel there is no such thing as defensive arming of the Syrian regime, and all capability it receives is offensive. “Why? Because with range of up to 200 or 300 kilometres, you can attack all places, also the Ben Gurion Airport,” said Minister of Intelligence, International Relations and Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz.
Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon commented that if the delivery takes place Israel “will know what to do” – widely understood to mean that Israel would strike the missiles if delivered.
Ya’alon said: “Clearly this move is a threat to us, even though at this point I cannot say that there is a step-up in the shipment of the S-300. The deliveries have not taken place, I can attest to this, and I hope they do not.”
Russia’s announcement on the missile transfer to the regime came as European Union foreign ministers decided that they would not renew the embargo on supplying arms to the Syrian rebels. This creates a scenario where, in the coming months, Russia could be strengthening the regime while other European states are strengthening its opposition.
A few days before the announcements by Russia and the EU, Ya’alon spoke about his concerns regarding armaments for the regime. “The Syrian army, which attempted to reach a strategic balance with us, is currently busy using up its forces in a battle of survival for the regime,” he said. “Despite this, thousands of rockets and missiles are still threatening us. The reality could flip upside down in a split second, and we must be prepared for this.”
Ya’alon has stressed that his concerns about the strengthening of Syria shouldn’t be understood as a sign that Israel favours the rebels in the civil war – rather Israel reacts to the situation on the ground based on its own security concerns. “In this reality we do not get involved in a civil war, and everything which has been said recently about us preferring either one side or another has absolutely no basis in reality,” he said.
In this vein, Israel is concerned by the possibility of EU countries arming rebels, fearing that rebel strength could end up harming its interests just as an emboldened regime could.
NATHAN JEFFAY
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