An overnight explosion reported in Syria’s Mediterranean port city of Latakia, which Syrian opposition sources linked to action by the Israeli Air Force (IAF), has refocused attention not just on Jerusalem’s oft-reiterated commitment to stem the flow of advanced weapons through Syria but on Russia’s increasingly open efforts to arm the Bashar al-Assad regime. Reuters had reported on Friday that in recent weeks Moscow has “stepped up supplies of military gear to Syria.”
Moscow, which is trying to raise its diplomatic and economic influence in the Middle East, has been a major provider of conventional weapons to Syria, giving Assad crucial support during the three-year civil war and blocking wider Western attempts to punish him with sanctions for the use of force against civilians.
“Dozens of Antonov 124s (Russian transport planes) have been bringing in armored vehicles, surveillance equipment, radars, electronic warfare systems, spare parts for helicopters, and various weapons including guided bombs for planes,” a Middle East security source said. “Russian advisers and intelligence experts have been running observation UAVs around the clock to help Syrian forces track rebel positions, analyze their capabilities, and carry out precision artillery and air force strikes against them,” said the source, who declined to be identified.
The opposition sources that described this week’s incident in Latakia suggested that the target was a shipment of Russian S-300 missile launchers, anti-aircraft assets that the Israelis have emphasized for years they would seek to interdict should Syria move to acquire them. Lebanese sources had earlier in the day reported unusually intensive IAF overflights in Lebanese airspace, potentially en route to Syria. The Israelis are thought to have taken action more than half a dozen times to enforce Jerusalem’s “red line” against Syrian acquisition or transfer of advanced weapons. That said, details of this incident are murky – and as usual the Israelis have refused to confirm or deny an attack – and veteran Israeli defense correspondent Alon Ben-David yesterday flatly ruled out [Hebrew] reports linking the IAF to the explosion.
[Photo: US Embassy Tel Aviv / Flickr ]