Posted on 05/11/2018 9:20:14 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A Kremlin aide said Friday that Russia has walked back its talk of supplying the Syrian government with more missiles, just days after a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Russia had floated giving President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime S-300 ground-to-air missiles after the U.S., Britain, and France launched airstrikes on Syria last month, a punishment for Assad’s chemical attack on his own people, including children.
However, Netanyahu may have successfully lobbied Russian president Vladimir Putin this week not to render the extra military aid. The Kremlin now believes the missiles are not needed at this time, according to Vladimir Kozhin, a Putin aide.
“For now, we’re not talking about any deliveries of new modern systems,” the daily Izvestia reported Kozhin saying.
Russia pushed back on the idea that the decision was influenced by Netanyahu.
“Deliveries [of the S-300s] were never announced as such,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “But we did say after the strikes that of course Russia reserved the right to do anything it considered necessary.”
Rumors circulated after the strikes on Syria that the Russian military was ready to immediately transport the new missiles to Assad, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying the Kremlin no longer had any moral obligation to keep them from Syria.
Israel objected to the missile transfer to Syria, no friend of Israel, and tensions have only escalated between the two countries in the past week after the U.S. backed out of the Iran nuclear deal.
On Thursday, Israel said Iran shot over 20 rockets from Syria at Israeli soldiers in the Golan Heights, near the border of Israel and Syria. Israel retaliated by hitting Iranian military facilities in Syria, taking out Syrian air-defense systems as well. The Israeli attack was the largest since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Russia warned the U.S. against scrapping the deal, saying “harmful consequences” would be “inevitable” as a result of the move.
Big Media will be deeply saddened (and angry).
FU Big Media!
Or maybe Putin read recent news. 60 missiles fired, 48+ hit their targets, zero Israel casualties.
Trust but verify.
Hot Damn! Trump & Bebe just can’t stop winning!-)
You’re probably right.
If the S-300’s aren’t real, why get pantsed?
Maybe Bibi just let Vlad in on the fact that Assad won’t ever be able to pay for them.
Israel regards Syrian deployment of S-300s as a mortal danger because the longer range models would cover Israeli airspace. To use Israeli terminology, Syrian S-300s are a red line that would require decisive military action.
Netanyahu probably told Putin the mussels would be destroyed before they could be installed; or, that Israel already has the technology to make them useless.
and, The israelis can easily parry the missiles that are not effective
"Vlad, this can go one of two ways -- you put the missile systems in, and as we defend our own existence, you get spanked with your pants down in front of the whole world. Or, you can keep your impotence a secret a while longer." Thanks SeekAndFind.
Easy deal to make.
Israel and Russia both want Iran out 0f Syria.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Now that Syria is largely secured, I doubt Russia has much use for the Mullahs or Hizbollah. They have their grateful ally in Assad.
Holy smokes...
http://img1.joyreactor.com/pics/post/gif-cat-dog-tongue-4477425.gif
“According to an official Kremlin statement, Putin told Assad that in light of the Syrian army’s recent “victories and success,” foreign armed forces will be withdrawn from Syria. “
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