Syrian missile buildup continues,
Israel calls situation 'tense'
TEL AVIV Syria continues to deploy missiles supplied by
"The situation is tense," a senior Israeli officer said.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi met at the military's Northern Command headquarters near the Lebanese border. The three men, on the first anniversary of the conclusion of the 34-day war with Hizbullah, received briefings on Syrian military preparations.
"I don't think it is in
Syria 's interest to start a war," Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said. "It is not in our interests to start war. This tension is unnecessary."
Military sources said
Syria has been deploying short- and medium-range missiles and rockets in southern and central
Syria . They said the Assad regime has been engaged in accelerated deployment of the Scud C and D missiles, with ranges of 550 and 700 kilometers, respectively.
"There are more than 100 mobile Syrian launchers in the
Golan Heights ," a source said. "This means that within an hour, they can fire at least 400 missiles into
Israel ."
The Syrian military has also accelerated training in commando and anti-tank weapons tactics. The sources said Syrian commando units have been receiving Russian-origin AT-14 Kornet anti-tank missiles.
The Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot reported that
Syria has more than 200 anti-aircraft batteries in the south. The newspaper, quoting a senior military source, said Damascus has received the latest anti-aircraft weapons from Russian manufacturers in 2007.
The Syrian procurement included the Pantsir-S1 air defense system, also ordered by the
United Arab Emirates .
Damascus has also upgraded its SA-3 and SA-6 systems and plans to purchase the S-300.
The military sources said
Iran plans to fund huge Syrian weapons purchases over the next year. The sources said
Damascus has already ordered a large quantity of SAMs and anti-tank missiles, most of which have not been delivered.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi met at the military's Northern Command headquarters near the Lebanese border. The three men, on the first anniversary of the conclusion of the 34-day war with Hizbullah, received briefings on Syrian military preparations.
"I don't think it is in
Military sources said
"There are more than 100 mobile Syrian launchers in the
The Syrian military has also accelerated training in commando and anti-tank weapons tactics. The sources said Syrian commando units have been receiving Russian-origin AT-14 Kornet anti-tank missiles.
The Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot reported that
The Syrian procurement included the Pantsir-S1 air defense system, also ordered by the
The military sources said
"They will arrive over the next six to 12 months," a military source said.
» If you like this article, please subscribe
to
Right Side News Daily
» If you liked
this article, please subscribe
to Right Side News Daily
