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A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 25 sepTember 2018
Russia to provide Syria with new S-300 air defense missiles

By NATALIYA VASILYEVA as a friendly one.
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia Russian Deputy Foreign
announced Monday it will Minister Mikhail Bogdanov
supply Syria's government told Russian news agencies
with sophisticated S-300 air that supplying the S-300 to
defense systems after last Syria is Russia's "own right"
week's downing of a Rus- and expressed confidence
sian plane by Syria forces that this would not hurt ties
responding to an Israeli air with Israel.
strike, a friendly fire incident The downing of the plane
that stoked regional ten- came just hours after Russia
sions. announced it had reached
The Russian Il-20 military re- a deal with Turkey to avert a
connaissance aircraft was Russian-backed Syrian gov-
downed by Syrian air de- ernment offensive against
fenses that mistook it for the northwestern province
an Israeli aircraft, killing all of Idlib, one of the last ar-
15 people on board. Rus- eas still in rebel hands.
sia laid the blame on Isra- Idlib, controlled by a mix of
el, saying Israeli fighter jets radical groups and Turkey-
had pushed the plane into backed armed opposition,
Syria's line of fire, an ac- overlooks the Syrian coast,
count denied by the Israeli where Russian military and
military. air bases are located. The
Russian Defense Minister bases have reportedly
Sergei Shoigu announced come under rebel fire.
that the S-300 missile de- In this file photo taken on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013, Russian air defense system missile system Antey Syrian state TV said insur-
fense systems will be deliv- 2500, or S-300 VM, is on display at the opening of the MAKS Air Show in Zhukovsky outside Mos- gents shelled a govern-
ered to Damascus within cow, Russia. ment-controlled crossing
two weeks. Earlier in the Associated Press east of Idlib on Monday
war, Russia suspended a that was reportedly pre-
supply of S-300s, which Is- fice said the Israeli prime "We think introducing the 2015, eventually turning the pared to allow civilians to
rael feared Syria could use minister "stressed once S-300s to the Syrian govern- tide of war in favor of Syrian leave the province.
against it. again that the responsibility ment would be a significant government forces. Mos- Concerns are rising in Idlib
Shoigu went on television for the unfortunate incident escalation by the Russians cow has tried to maintain over the details of the deal
to say that Russia is now go- lay on the Syrian army that and something that we good relations with Iran, and how it will be imple-
ing to go ahead with the shot it down and on Iran, hope, if these press reports which is also allied with the mented. The province is
shipment because "the situ- whose aggression is desta- are accurate, they would Syrian government, and Is- home to some 3 million Syr-
ation has changed, and it's bilizing the region." reconsider," Bolton said. rael, which is wary of Iran's ians, half of them displaced
not our fault." In an apparent reference International and regional growing influence in Syria. by violence in other parts
Shortly after his statement, to the S-300, the state- powers backing various Assad's office said the Syr- of the country.
Putin got a call from Israeli ment said "transferring sides in Syria's civil war have ian leader received a call Hard-line armed groups
Prime Minister Benjamin advanced weapons to ir- been carrying out strikes for from Putin Monday and have rejected the deal,
Netanyahu and told him responsible hands will in- years, often using special that the two discussed the saying it aims to strip the
that the Russian move was crease the dangers in the hotlines to prevent aerial latest developments, in- opposition of weapons
"aimed primarily at fending region," adding that Israel confrontations. cluding the downing of the and is a victory for Assad's
off any potential threat to will "continue to defend its Israel said its warplanes plane and the S-300 de- government. On Sunday,
the lives of Russian service- security and interests." were targeting a Syr- livery. The statement said tribal leaders and promi-
men," according to a read- The Israeli military has de- ian facility involved in arms Assad expressed his condo- nent local figures meeting
out of the call issued by the nied responsibility for the shipments to the Iranian- lences for the deaths of the in Idlib said they distrusted
Kremlin. Shoigu announced downing of the Russian jet. backed Hezbollah group. Russian airmen. Russian mediation, citing
that Russia would equip Syr- In a statement Sunday, it Israel has launched at least Russian officials said Syria's Russia's previous cease-fire
ian air defenses with a new said the hotline worked as 200 strikes at Iranian and Soviet-made S-200 systems, violations. The conference
automated control system it was supposed to, that Hezbollah facilities in Syria one of which downed the called on armed groups
to enhance its efficiency Israeli jets did not hide be- over the past years, and Russian plane, weren't so- not to leave the front lines
and help identify Russian hind other aircraft and that has maintained a hotline phisticated enough to in Syria or hand over their
aircraft. He said the Russian they were in Israeli airspace with the Russian military to identify the Russian aircraft weapons.q
military will start using elec- when the Russian plane prevent any collisions.
tronic countermeasures to was downed. Shoigu said that the Is-
jam any aircraft that would U.S. national security advis- raeli military warned Russia
try to launch attacks off er John Bolton meanwhile about last week's strike just
Syria's coast like the Israeli said Monday that delivery one minute before launch-
strike that resulted in the of the Russian S-300 would ing it and claimed it was
Russian plane's downing. be a "significant escalation" being conducted in Syria's
"We are convinced that in already high tensions in north. Instead, the Israeli
these measures will calm the region, and Secretary jets targeted the western
down some hotheads and of State Mike Pompeo said province of Latakia, putting
keep them from careless he would raise the matter the Russian warplane in the
actions which pose a threat this week with his Russian line of fire.
to our troops," he said. counterpart Sergey Lavrov Russia launched its cam-
In its readout of the call at the U.N. General Assem- paign in Syria to support
with Putin, Netanyahu's of- bly. President Bashar Assad in