But of course: US State Dept says S-300 in Syria will put 'coalition' troops at risk

Sputnik
Mon, 24 Sep 2018 09:03 UTC

© Russian Defence Ministry

Russia's planned delivery of S-300 air defense systems to the Syrian government will increase the risk to the US-led coalition forces in Syria, a US Department of State official told Sputnik on Monday.

"The Russian delivery of further enhanced air defenses to the Assad regime will only raise the risk of escalation in an already dangerous environment and increase the risk to US and partnered forces conducting D-ISIS operations in Syria," the State Department official said in an interview for Sputnik.

Comment: Remember, the US is in Syria illegally. The only risk of escalation comes from them, and all other foreign invaders and occupiers.

"It also reconfirms Russia's continued protection of the Assad regime and ultimate responsibility for the regime's actions," the official added.

Comment: They say that as if it's a bad thing.

On September 17, a Russian Il-20 military aircraft was shot down by a Syrian air defense system while returning to the Hmeimim airbase some 22 miles off the Syrian coast. The Russian Defense Ministry said Israeli F-16 jets flying in the vicinity used the Russian aircraft as a shield against Syrian air defenses. The incident claimed the lives of 15 Russian servicemen.

The State Department official recalled that the Syrian anti-aircraft systems shot down Russia's aircraft.

"Introducing even more air defenses does not solve the problem of Syria's unprofessional and indiscriminate firing of missiles, or reduce the risk to regional aviation," the State Department official said.

Comment: It wasn't indiscriminate, it was targeted. The Israelis are the ones who set up the Russians to take the hit aimed at them.

In addition, the official characterized said the death of the Russian aircrew as "an unfortunate incident."

"It reminds us that the many overlapping conflicts in the region need permanent, peaceful, and political resolutions in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254," the official said.

Comment: Coming from the butchers of Raqqa, that means a lot...

The incident underlines "the danger of escalation in Syria's crowded theater of operations," and that "Iran must end its provocative transit of dangerous weapon systems through Syria that are a threat to the region," the official added.

Earlier on Monday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced measures on increasing security of Russian servicemen in response to the crash of Russian Il-20 military aircraft, which Russia believes Israel is responsible for. Shoigu explained Russia would equip the Syrian air defense forces' command posts with automatic control systems, which had been previously possessed only by Russia, jam satellite navigation, on-board radars and communication systems of combat aviation attacking Syrian targets and, most importantly, supply S-300 air defense systems to Syria.

Comment: The US is right to be a tad scared. As Vladimir Ermakov, director of the Department for Nonproliferation and arms control of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said:

Responding to US National Security Adviser John Bolton's remark that the S-300's deliveries to Syria would constitute a "significant escalation" by Moscow, Ermakov stated the S-300 systems were meant for defensive purposes, and the US was fudging when saying that Russia's supplies would violate its national security. In addition, the ministry stated that those steps would lead to the stabilization, rather than escalation.

"In fact, such actions will lead to the stabilization of the region, because we will be able to close the airspace where necessary, and, first of all, our servicemen who fulfill their international duty at the invitation of the Syrian government will be protected," Ermakov said.

The U.S. aren't the only ones a tad nervous that their relative impunity in Syria is threatened:

A number of Israeli media outlets have expressed concerns over Moscow's decision to supply Syria with S-300 air defense systems and admitted that such steps may have grave repercussions for the Israeli Air Force.

Reacting to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's announcement, Channel 9 wondered if Israel was "in for a nightmare" once the S-300 missile systems were delivered, while The Jerusalem Post emphasized that the advanced systems would become a major boost to the Syrian air defenses and would pose a threat to Israeli aircraft as the long-range anti-missile system has the capability of tracking jets and ballistic missiles over a range of 300 kilometers.

The Jerusalem Post further suggested that currently, Syrian air defenses are largely outdated Soviet-era systems as well as more sophisticated tactical systems. The author of the article, however, stressed that Moscow has already provided Damascus with a short range air defense system, Pantsir S-1.

Addressing Shoigu's statement, Haaretz published an analysis, headlined "With Russia's S-300 in Syria, Israel Will Have to Think Twice About the Next Strike," in which the author hypothesized that the new missile system would not constitute a "total barrier to airstrikes," but would definitely curb Israeli jets' freedom.

"...Jerusalem is bound to face a dilemma: Should it attack once again near the Russians and risk further exacerbating the crisis and even the downing of an Israeli plane?" the author wrote.

The daily newspaper Ynetnews appeared to share Haaretz's stance, having stressed that the delivery of the S-300s was "bad news for Israel" as it would limit the Israeli Air Force's freedom of action throughout Syria and "apparently in Lebanon."

The publication came to the conclusion that the deployment of the system would require "more effort, more planning and more caution in the use of force in the skies of Syria and Lebanon" on the part of the IAF, as the upgrade of the Syrian air defenses, including an automatic control system that would ensure the identification of Russian aircraft, would improve the speed of Syrian missile batteries.