Putin again warns Netanyahu hands off Syria
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spent three hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin at his residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Tuesday, May, 14. He came for a last-ditch attempt to head off the supply of advanced Russian anti-air S-300 missile systems to Syria. Instead, the Russian leader turned the conversation around to focus implicitly on Israel’s air strikes against Damascus on May 3 and May 5. After their conversation he issued a warning: “In this crucial period it is especially important to avoid any moves that can shake the situation.”
This was clearly a hands-off caution to Israel not to repeat its attacks on Damascus. And, furthermore, after “shaking the situation” in Syria by its air attacks, Israel was in no position to demand that Russia avoid selling Syria advanced weapons.
The prime minister, for his part, warned that the entire Middle East was in a dangerous state of volatility.
He was accompanied by Israeli Military Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi. Opposite him sat Mikhail Fradkov, SVR Director.
Kochavi laid before the Russian leader the information Israel had gathered on the state of Syria’s chemical weapons with relevance to their transfer to the Lebanese Hizballah.
Before Netanyahu’s arrival for the meeting, Moscow took two preparatory steps:
1. Russian diplomats leaked to the London-based Arab press a report that the S-300 missiles had already arrived in Syria. According to Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Moscow had delivered 200 launchers (probably missiles) and the Syrian missile teams already knew how to use them.
By this leak, the Israeli prime minister was being informed that his journey to Sochi was a waste of time and that the use of S-300 missiles for shooting down Israeli Air Force planes was no longer controlled by Moscow but by Damascus.
2. The prominent strategic analyst, Viktor Kremenyuk of The USA and Canada Institute in Moscow, reported Tuesday that Netanyahu arrived in Sochi to indirectly let Putin know that “Israel would destroy the S-300s when they are delivered and start being assembled.”
The deputy director of an important Russian think tank which advises the Kremlin on North American policy does not tend to make idle comments.
debkafile’s Moscow sources interpreted Kremenyuk’s remark as a means of informing the Israeli leader that Moscow was not impressed by such threats. Instead of pushing Putin to stop the S-300 missiles, Israel would be more advantageously employed urging the Obama administration to adopt a more realistic stand on Syria and Bashar Assad.
In Moscow’s view, Washington must be brought to give up its threat of Western military intervention in Syria, of which the Israeli air strikes appeared to Putin as the harbinger, and come to terms with Assad’s presence in any political solution of the Syrian conflict.
These positions the Russian President had conveyed previously to US Secretary of State John Kerry and UK Prime Minister David Cameron. He made it clear to Netanyahu that he stood by them as firmly as ever. Therefore, say debkafile’s sources, so long as both powers remain entrenched in their positions, there is not much hope of their coming together on an international conference to resolve the Syrian conflict.
debkafile’s military sources add: It is also unlikely that the Russian and Israeli leaders had a chance to work out reciprocal ground rules for the Russian officers supervising the S-300 missile operations in Syria to avoiding hitting Israeli Air Force jets or for Israeli bombers to refrain from destroying them.
The S-300 is designed to shoot down planes and missiles at 200-km ranges.
Israel is concerned that Moscow may decided to send the six S-300 batteries carrying 144 missiles due for Syria along with Russian missile and air defense specialists. They will also be available for operating the missiles effectively for downing Israeli Air Force planes striking targets in Syria and Lebanon. Israel will be forced to think twice before attacking the S-300 batteries for fear of hitting the Russian officers. Putin is therefore placing a severe constraint on Israel’s operational freedom by spreading an anti-air missile cover over the Syrian, Hizballah and the Iranian Basij forces fighting for Bashar Assad.
WarSclerotic 
May 14, 2013 at 7:34 PM
Nothing resolved just more complex. Had Israel delt with Iran years ago…… Now Israel is hemmed in on all sides, freedom of movement being taken away. And Iran keeps on building its atomic!!!!
May 14, 2013 at 7:37 PM
Like JW says, Israelis will take action sooner than later…. Waiting for stars to aligned correctly 🙂
May 14, 2013 at 8:13 PM
As far as I’m concerned we’re already past both “sooner” and “later”. If this were a hockey playoff game we’re in the 3rd overtime period now – that’s how long Israel has waited.
May 14, 2013 at 7:52 PM
Debka is now confirming our previous assertion that the missiles delivery was executed after Israel stroke the airport near Damascus. It also says that Israel will terminate any S-300 battery which will be deployed. We agree with that.Those toys must be eliminated before becoming operative. But you cannot start the circus and let it down in the middle. Is for this reason that we think that an operation targeting those S-300 sites will be finished in Iran.
May 14, 2013 at 8:15 PM
Luis,
How come you say “our” and “we” in your posts? Who else are you referring to besides yourself?
May 14, 2013 at 8:52 PM
Ok, I’ll take your observation for being right. The reason that sometimes I refer to my self as ”we” is a ”professional deformation”. When you explain and lecture things almost all your life, then you say ”we” and not ”I”. I hope nobody was hurt and won’t be in the future, too.
May 14, 2013 at 8:29 PM
Luis, it’s looking like old Pooty Poot is not only installing S-300 batteries in Syria, but human shields as well. Human shields in the form of Russian military.
May 14, 2013 at 8:55 PM
That might really be a problem, which Bibi did explained to the russian president. When you are in the air and a S-300 battery is locking on you, then is like in the Wild West: shot first and survive.
May 14, 2013 at 7:59 PM
Sometimes the Calvary comes too late, or gets annihilated
May 14, 2013 at 9:46 PM
Last time that the Russians threatened to go to war in the Middle East was 1973.
Since then a lot has happened and today Russia cannot afford to be directly involved in a war in Syria nor are they prepared to do so. They have neither the money nor the other resources needed for such a military operation. They are not foolish to be dragged into a second Afghanistan.
They can actually afford a war much less then the Americans.
So, what significance has the presence of some Russian soldiers in Syria? Not much. Other then to nuke Israel how can they respond? The article tells us that the Syrians already know how to use the S300. So why do they need the Russians to operate them?
Seems contradictory to me.
Another article tells us that a Russian warship landed for the first time in Israel (in a peaceful visit).
There is much wildly contradicting and confusing stuff being reported lately. Much smoke, deiception and disinformation.
So I go with Sun Tzu and take this and all the other articles with a lot of caution.
What all this smoke tells me though, is that it may be the smokescreen for something much bigger.
May 14, 2013 at 9:51 PM
Agree with Artaxes.
May 14, 2013 at 10:45 PM
The Russians are full of shit they cant do anything except talk NATO IS ABOUT TO TURN ON RUSSIA Fuck Russia puketin go and die
May 14, 2013 at 11:50 PM
If Israel fails to destroy the S-300 batteries soon, either not trying or not succeeding, then Russia might bet on deploying such systems in Iran too. The result could be a full scale war between Israel and its two northern neighbors: Syria and Lebanon. Hamastan from Gaza may join the war too. Details here: http://essential-intelligence-network.blogspot.com/2013/05/middle-east-on-brink.html
May 15, 2013 at 3:02 AM
Reblogged this on servehiminthewaiting.
May 15, 2013 at 3:09 AM
Netanyahu has been too cute by half. By declairing Iran the worlds problem he hoped to maneuver others to do the heavy lifting with respect to Iran. By playing this game he’s only maneuvered Israel into an untenable situation. The world will do nothing, and by failing to act up to this point, Netanyau has lost the opportunity to nip this in the bud. He’s now facing fully flowering evil that Israel is no longer able to defeat. The rubicon has been crossed and there’s no turning back! All that’s left to do now, is watch this sad story unfold. It is written!
May 15, 2013 at 8:10 AM
Iran IS the worlds problem. Wether the world likes it or not.
It was not entirely unreasonable to try to build an alliance with teeth.
It’s the world’s problem as Hitler was then the world’s problem and not just the problem of the Jews, Chechs and Poles.
But then as now the world chose to ignore the problem.
Anyway, we will know at the end of the year.
May 15, 2013 at 12:31 PM
Russia is the problem Iran is just a puppet of russia russia will soon burn