Egozi: Russia in Syria Challenges Israel Even Before Iran Gets in

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By Arie Egozi

Last week’s meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and the Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed one thing – Russia would not give up any of its strategic interests in Syria to help Israel. The Russian press reported that the Israeli prime minister told Putin that the Guards of the Islamic Revolution of Iran and Hezbollah fighters have been preparing to attack Israel by using Syria as a springboard.

Netanyahu also told Putin that Israel was extremely concerned about Iran’s participation in the Syrian conflict. According to Netanyahu, Tehran has been working on a “creeping expansion” in the Middle East under the pretext of a peaceful settlement in Syria. Iran, he added, supplies weapons to Hezbollah fighters and gradually attracts Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen in the sphere of its influence.

Netanyahu told Putin that Iran takes the territories that the international coalition and Russia liberate from ISIL terrorists in Syria. “Tehran does not hide its intention to destroy the State of Israel,” Netanyahu told Putin.

As I said, Russia will not stop the Iranian penetration in Syria but at the same time, Moscow enhances its military presence in the war-torn country. Only recently, Russia has set up a unified air defense system in Syria with the joint efforts by Russian and Syrian military experts.

The Russian air defense group in the Hmeymim airfield area includes a communication engineering battalion, a battery of the Pantsir-S air defense missile and gun systems and the S-400 air defense missile systems.

The S-400 systems, according to Israeli experts. are capable of destroying targets within a range of up to 400 kilometers at an altitude of up to 33 kilometers.