Netanyahu travels to Russia for missile talks
Netanyahu travels to Russia for missile talks | The Times of Israel.
( The fact that the MSM is universally reporting that the topic of Netanyahu’s visit is the missiles tells me that this is a straight out disinfo “cover story.” – JW )
Prime minister will try to convince Putin to halt transfer of game-changing S-300 anti-aircraft weapons to Syria; Arab newspaper says rockets may already be there
MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin’s talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Russia on Tuesday will focus on the situation in Syria, the Kremlin said, amid growing concerns that Moscow may soon provide Damascus with an advanced anti-aircraft weapon.
Israeli officials say Russia is on the verge of selling S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Syria and they have asked Russia to stop supplying Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime with such “game-changing” weapons.
Despite the civil war in Syria, Russia has rejected Western demands to halt such sales, arguing that they haven’t violated international law. The Russian arms deliveries have included air defense missiles and artillery systems, but Moscow has so far refrained from providing Damascus with the advanced S-300.
The powerful weapon has a range of up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) and the capability to track down and strike multiple targets simultaneously with lethal efficiency. It would mean a quantum leap in Syria’s air defense capability and pose a strong challenge to any possible aerial campaign. Israel also fears that advanced Russian weapons could fall into the hands of Hezbollah, a key Syrian ally in neighboring Lebanon.
Israeli Tourism Minister Uzi Landau accused Russia on Monday of destabilizing the Middle East by selling weapons to Assad’s regime. “Anyone who provides weaponry to terror organizations is siding with terror,” Landau said.
Speaking in Warsaw on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia was completing the delivery of air defense systems to Syria under earlier signed contracts, but avoided specifying whether the S-300 batteries are among them.
Earlier this month, Lavrov met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and they announced they would host an international conference during which Syrian government officials and rebels will be offered the chance to name an interim government.
On Friday, Putin met with British Prime Minister David Cameron in Moscow for talks that also centered on Syria.
Cameron said the two were committed to developing a proposal for a Syrian transitional government. The British leader didn’t say if the missile issue was discussed, but Russian news agencies said Moscow had insisted it would honor all earlier signed contracts.
The business daily Kommersant, without citing a source, reported Monday that Putin told Cameron during the talks that the S-300 will be delivered to Syria. But Vyacheslav Davidenko, a spokesman for Russia’s Rosoboronexport state arms trader, refused to comment on the issue Monday.
Russia media have reported that Moscow signed a contract for the delivery of the S-300s to Syria a few years ago, but shelved it under pressure from Israel and the West.
But according to a report in the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Syria may already in possession of the weapons. An unnamed Syrian military source told the paper that Netanyahu may here from Putin that the S-300 missiles may already have been delivered.
Igor Korotchenko, a former colonel of the Russian General Staff who now heads the Center for Analysis of Global Weapons Trade, said that the decision on the S-300 delivery would have to be made by Putin himself.
“It may lead to a new round of confrontation with the West,” he said. “It will have a serious impact on the balance of forces, depriving Israel of its air superiority.”
Korotchenko added that Syrian crews will have to spend up to one year in Russia training on how to use the S-300 systems. “Without that, the delivery would make no sense,” he said. “It’s a complex system, and only highly qualified crew can handle it.”
Russia has been a key ally of Assad, joining forces with China at the U.N. Security Council to shield his regime from international sanctions.
The Syrian civil war, which began as a popular uprising against Assad in March 2011, has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced several million. The two sides are deadlocked, though the regime has scored recent military gains against the rebels.
Israel has carried out a pair of airstrikes in recent months aimed at halting the transfer of key weapons to Hezbollah. In January, Israel destroyed a shipment of anti-aircraft missiles bound for Hezbollah, and earlier this month, it destroyed Iranian-made guided missiles also believed headed to Hezbollah. Israel has not officially confirmed carrying out the strikes.
Hezbollah is a bitter enemy of Israel. It battled Israel to a stalemate in a month-long war in mid-2006, and already possesses a formidable arsenal of tens of thousands of missiles and rockets.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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WarSclerotic 
May 14, 2013 at 2:50 PM
Could it be the S-300 system is already compromised and we don’t want the Ruskies know it just yet?
May 14, 2013 at 4:01 PM
Nice one and its even true. Israel knows how to take care of those batteries.
May 14, 2013 at 3:47 PM
Nope, it is just that we are not willing a direct confrontation whit Russia but in the same time syria and iran under control whats means that Russia will loose his influence in the middle east.
They are trying to get Russia to step down, what will happen at a price, otherwise we will see a big war.
Witch price are we willing to pay ??
you know Cuban rockets for European rockets the Kennedy deal !
Battle field Europa is moved to battle field middle east.
The same cold war but a bit different.
Lets hope this will stay a not to hot war.
http://www.defconwarningsystem.com/
May 14, 2013 at 4:07 PM
Battle field Europe has moved to the Middle East some 46 years ago, when Israel blitzed the Arabs in 6 days(The Six Days War) and stayed here since then. Iran is weak, Syria is compromised, Hezbollah has engaged itself in Syria. Now is time to strike in a big style, targeting the head of the snake. You may guess what snake I’m talking about.
May 14, 2013 at 4:20 PM
I like to think that i have a reasonable picture of what is going on.
iran syrie are no problem at all if we get Russia on our side.or step down., just destabilize them and they are starting to kill them selfs and we are crying loud about the people and doing nothing.
othet than a show for the world some un declaratiuons and so on.
Nice game, using Israel and the mo-slim idiots as geo political tools !
Northing new just a Brzezinski doctrine.
May 14, 2013 at 4:28 PM
Unfortunately, we don’t have time anymore for subtle steps and undercover activity. The time has come for Israel to openly confront Iran. The truth hour is here and the Syrians wont fight forever one against each other and against jihadists; The Rubicon must be crossed now.
May 14, 2013 at 5:46 PM
@ Luis
Be patient we will know it in a month or 2 !!!
But where are you living ??
You talk a bit to easy about war and so on, do you know what war is , and special a war whit nuke tactical or strategical.
But as i said before Israel has to do what it has to do to survive, but that does not take away that they are maneuvered in this position, as a fuse in the bomb.
It is sometimes a bit more complicated than just trowing a war in.
And i think, just a complete personal opinion, BIBI knows this shit
I have full respect for him, it is almost inhuman to maneuver between the forces just to survive.
But please tell me if my opinions are welcome here, otherwise i will depart from this blog
Never forget the little bugger whit his goat and his kids and his koran living his simple live who is terrorized by the freaking power grabbing idiots in the world.
He sits in the same spot as we, between the power grabbing people
Do not try democratize him ,he do not understand it because it is not a part of his meme and we know by now where this leads to.
May 14, 2013 at 8:30 PM
Dear Sir, Joop Klepzeiker, I’ll begin answering to your question regarding your opinions and if they are welcome here. First of all, I am not in a position to decide that, because this site belongs to our friend, Joseph Wouk. As far as I am concerned, I deeply respect what others are writing here, in general, and your opinions, in particular. Your lines touched a cord when you asked me where I live and, if I’m an israeli, the war option should not be taken to easy into consideration. I’ll tell you what, regarding this issue: Living on the shadow of a real nuclear Iran is not an option for the Israeli State. Is not only me who is saying this. All the important israeli decision makers in our country think the same thing. It is the Begin Doctrine which I am talking about and I won’t bore the readers here explicating it, instead a google will be more helpful. Once there is a general strategic consensus here, in Israel, that no arab country should be aloud to reach nuclear capability – especially Iran, for obvious motives – once that is agreed, then,the discution here are only about the method and timing. What we are saying is just our particular opinion, and like many others israelis, we know that the ”thing” will come, preferable sooner that later.
May 14, 2013 at 11:39 PM
I have just one answer for you
If they tel you that they are willing to exterminated you be so smart to believe them, once and never again.
I know it also, but i do not like to hear again ; we did n know it !!
Please be strong and give my deepest sympathetic feelings and respect to your ( mine ) people
In mind and hart whit you !
So far i know i,am mot official from the people, but the older i get i get more and more the blood of grandma in me, i,am to old to be useful but i still want to be on your side on the barricades.
הִי אוֹר (yehi ‘or).
I give you something , what tells you a lot, you see a place where i was born because my fathers mother had stow away enough potatoes to survive the hunger winter so my father survived and good produce me
I do my best to comment on different sites , that all i can do.
Not enough but what els ??
yees i getting very personal at the moment
But i,am so freaking fucking scary that we have to do it all over again.
The mysteries of live i feel my bonded whit the people, but that was already clear for you