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Netanyahu tells Putin weapons sales to Syria could ignite region
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to have told Russia’s President Putin in a meeting earlier this week that a proposed Russian sale of an advanced anti-aircraft system to Syria could trigger a regional war.
According to Channel Two, Netanyahu told Putin during a three-hour meeting that should the Assad regime utilise the sophisticated system against Israeli aircraft, it “is likely to draw us into a response, and could send the region deteriorating into war.” Russia has agreed to sell Syria an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, which is capable of intercepting aircraft at a range of over sixty miles and could challenge Israel’s air superiority in the region.
Channel Two also reported last night that Israel has sent an unprecedented message to President Assad that Syrian retaliation to air strikes aimed at preventing weapons transfers would precipitate a heavy Israeli response bringing down his regime. Syrian officials last week threatened to respond to further operations, following an air strike earlier this month, assumed to be carried out by Israel, which targeted military installations near Damascus where sophisticated Iranian weaponry was being stored before being transferred to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, yesterday morning, two mortar shells fired from Syria landed in the Mount Hermon area of the Israeli Golan Heights for the first time. The area is popular with hikers and although the mortars caused no injuries or damage, the site was closed to tourists enjoying a national holiday for several hours. Stray fire from the fighting in Syria has landed in Israeli territory on the Golan Heights on several occasions over the last few months. However, Israeli security officials are investigating whether yesterday’s incident was deliberate, with YNet reporting that a Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for the shelling.
Reports in several Arabic newspapers including the London-based al-Hayat yesterday gave further indication that the Golan Heights could become increasingly volatile, claiming that Iran has convinced Assad to permit Hezbollah to launch attacks against Israel from the area.