Russia
has modernized two radars in Syria and Lebanon that could threaten U.S.
or Israel’s ability to launch a surprise attack against Syria and
Iran, Israeli DEBKAfile portal said on Monday, February 27, 2012. The
range of the Jabal Al Harrah electronic and surveillance station south
of Damascus has been increased to cover all parts of Israel and Jordan,
the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Saudi Arabia. |
The
range of a Russian-equipped Syrian radar stationed on Lebanon’s
Mount Sannine has also been extended, and the data-sharing capability
of both radars has been improved.
As a result, the radars are now capable of tracking “U.S. and Israeli
naval and aerial movements in the Eastern Mediterranean up to and including
Cyprus and Greece.”
“Moscow decided to boost its radar tracking and surveillance reach
for Iran’s benefit in response to a complaint from Tehran that it
could not longer count on Russia for a real-time alert on an incoming
U.S. or Israeli military strike, because those resources were stretched
to the limit in support of the Assad regime,” DEBKAfile said citing
its sources in the U.S. military.
Russia is alarmed by the growing threat of a military strike on Iran,
which is increasingly reported as being an option under consideration
by Israeli and U.S. military planners as Tehran continues to move ahead
with its uranium enrichment program.
Moscow proposes to recognize Iran’s right to develop a civilian
nuclear program, including the right to enrich uranium in exchange for
placing the country’s nuclear activities under the tight control
of the International Atomic Energy Agency
At the same time, Russia has strongly opposed foreign interference in
a political crisis in Syria and warned against a “Libyan scenario”
in the country.
Earlier in February, Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-backed resolution
calling on the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to step down.
Moscow believes that attempts to bring democracy through military intervention
in the Arab world would compromise the existing system of international
security and “backfire with catastrophic consequences to the world.”
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