bet ya syria woulda been glad to sell them theirs cheap since they weren't using it anyway...
Posted on 09/18/2008 5:30:51 PM PDT by Kaslin
Foreign Affairs: Russia has disclosed that it will sell military hardware to Tehran that will protect Iran's nuclear facilities. The time left to halt the Iranian nuclear threat has thus grown that much shorter.
But the sale of the S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Iran is downright alarming. It's conceivable that, once in place, the system will be able to protect the regime's nuclear facilities from an airstrike. Should Iran then be able to continue processing uranium unfettered, with no concerns of military intervention, an already dangerous world will become even more frightening.
Sitting on 26.4 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves, the most in the petroleum-rich Mideast and second most in the world, Iran has continually said its nuclear project is for peaceful purposes only.
Yet no one — outside of maybe Barack Obama, who called Iran a "tiny" country that doesn't "pose a serious threat" — believes that Tehran is merely developing fuel for nuclear power plants.
If Iran were Switzerland, then both Obama and Tehran could be believed. But it's not. Iran is more like the Germany of the 1930s: a nation trying to distract from its inward troubles with outward belligerence.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
More like, new axis foaming.
In other news, the Alaskan governor who signed a friendship agreement with Israel, and who may soon be a heartbeat away, has been disinvited from the anti-Iran rally.
Ten Russian warships have docked at Syrian port
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
September 18, 2008, 11:08 PM (GMT+02:00)
Russian Navy in action
Israeli military and naval commanders were taken by surprise by Rear Adm. Andrei Baranov's disclosure that 10 Russian warships are already anchored at the Syrian port of Tartus, DEBKAfile’s military sources report. Moscow and Damascus have worked fast to put in place the agreement reached in Moscow on Sept. 12 by Russian navy commander, Adm. Vladimir Wysotsky and Syrian naval commander Gen. Taleb al-Barri to provide the Russian fleet with a long-term base at Syrian ports. Israel was not aware that this many vessels were involved in the deal.
What most worries Israeli military leaders is an earlier announcement by Adm. Wysotsky that Russia’s Mediterranean assets would subjected to its Black Sea fleet command, thereby placing Russia’s warships near Israel’s shores at the service of Moscow’s contest against the US and NATO in the Caucasian. It is feared that Israel will be dragged into another cold war.
Rear Adm. Baranov disclosed that the warships in Tartus had brought engineering crews to widen and dredge the harbor to accommodate additional, fleet vessels. The crews were also working on expanding Latakia, another Syrian port, possibly for aircraft carriers or guided missile cruisers. The Russians are making no secret of their intention of using their naval presence in Syrian ports as a deterrent to a possible Israeli air strike against Syria.
What’s new about this ? Commies, thugs, dictators, tyrants.. have always banded together.
Driven by monopoly markets, excessive pricing and unbelievable amounts of western cash, rather than pretensions about government ideology.
Seems more interesting than last time. Throw loose nukes and non-state actors into the mix, and in could turn into a credible threat to civilization.
“Sitting on 26.4 trillion cubic meters of natural gas reserves”
Aim bunker busters there! Woo-Hoo I love fireworks!
Not if we can keep them from winning the house, senate and oval office come November...
those radars they sold to Syria did not do much in keeping that nuclear power plant from being destroyed by israel.
bet ya syria woulda been glad to sell them theirs cheap since they weren't using it anyway...
Flaw in plan:
The Tactical Tomahawk is cheaper than S-300’s. Send them in at altitude begging to be engaged by the S-300’s. If they don’t engage, the S-300’s get blown up on the ground. If they do engage, the S-300’s get expended and open the air space for a massive air attack.
Its lose-lose for Iran. I like those odds.
Which radars are these? Syria’s air defenses at the time consisted of a decades-old SAM network.
The only modern system I’ve heard of them having is the Pantsyr, and they didn’t have them at the time (I don’t know if they even have them now). Even if they did, it’s a short-range system.
Now, I’m not saying that the Ruskie systems are a match for our own (or the Euroweenies), but really—its not exactly a fair match. If we pit Indian Su-30 MKIs (or Su-34s if the Ruskies ever get a sizable contingent in service) vs. some Nike Hercules, Hawks, and Chaparrals, the results are going to be pretty predictable too.
Assuming this guy’s halfway right, the Syrian SAM network is a paper tiger.
http://geimint.blogspot.com/2007/09/syrian-sam-network.html
So what’s it looking like?
Russia
Venezuela
Iran
Syria
China
hmmmm........ Who am I forgetting?
Oh! Cuba! The Ruskie bombers stopped there to “Refuel” recently, right?
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