WarSclerotic

International Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz warned that the S-300 anti-aircraft system which Russia is set to send to Syria can also potentially be used as an offensive weapon to shoot down Israeli civilian planes over Tel Aviv.

Speaking at an Israel Project conference, Steinitz accused Russia of “encouraging support to a brutal regime” by completing the sale of the S-300 system while Assad was slaughtering his own civilians.

He said that the advanced weapons platform could end up in the hands of the wrong rebel groups or make its way to Assad’s Iranian allies. Steinitz stated that Israel still hoped to convince Russia to suspend the sale of the S-300 to Syria.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on Tuesday said that he did not believe Syria would attempt to engage Israel militarily despite threats to do so issued in the aftermath of alleged IAF airstrikes in Syria.

“The Syrian regime relates to us differently than they relate to the rebels. They are frightened of us. We will be prepared for any development, but we don’t estimate that they will attempt to challenge us,” Ya’alon said while on an inspection of a Home Front Command exercise in Jerusalem.

Ya’alon added that the S-300 anti-aircraft system which Russia has insisted on selling to Syria despite Israeli objections has not yet been sent to Damascus.

“I hope it won’t be sent, but if it is, God forbid, we will know what to do,” the defense minister said.

Russia on Tuesday defended its decision to deliver the S-300 to the Syrian regime, stating that it would help to stabilize the situation in the country.

“Those systems by definition cannot be used by militant groups on the battlefield,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Russia Today.

“We consider this delivery a factor of stabilization. We believe that moves like this one to a great degree restrain some hotheads from escalating the conflict to the international scale, from involving external forces,” he added.