Free Republic

As Iran tests the capabilities of its air defense systems in nationwide exercises, the Israeli air force is reported to be planning special seminars to prepare its attack pilots to cope with heavy surface-to-air missile defenses. According to The Jerusalem Post, the sessions will encompass "future conflict with Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran" in which air force crews will "have to deal with an unprecedented number of surface-to-air missiles, most of them Russian-made." None of these adversaries is considered to pose an overwhelming air-defense threat, although Israeli intelligence believes that Iran has supplied some shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles to the Palestinian...

Russia should honor a contract to sell a missile defense system to Iran and not bend to outside pressure, the Islamic Republic's defense minister said in remarks published on Thursday. Russia, which is under Western pressure to distance itself from Iran, has not followed through on proposals to supply high-grade S-300 air defense missiles. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Russia last month for not providing the arms to Iran, which is at odds with the West over its nuclear and missile programs. Israel says the S-300 systems could be used to defend Iranian nuclear facilities against potential air strikes....

Missile dumped at US gun amnesty Florida map A man in Florida surprised police by handing in a surface-to-air missile launcher during a gun amnesty in the city of Orlando. Under the no-questions-asked scheme, "Kicks for Guns", anyone who surrendered a firearm would receive trainers or $50 (£25). The Orlando Sentinel newspaper said the man exchanged the rocket launcher for designer footwear for his daughter. He told the newspaper he found the 4ft (1.2m) weapon in a shed last week. The unidentified man said he had tried in vain to get rid of the launcher, which is designed to blow...

A Sudanese man who approached U.S. officials claiming he belonged to al-Qaida and offering to spy for the CIA has been sentenced to seven years in prison, according to a newspaper report. Sudan's Al-Watan daily reported Sunday that the unidentified Sudanese man had offered his services to the CIA and contacted the U.S. embassy in Khartoum several times. He reportedly told U.S. officials that he had fought in Afghanistan and had information on some al-Qaida members who returned to Sudan from Afghanistan. The newspaper said the court had found that he had supplied the CIA with false reports because he...

The Mexican Attorney General's office thinks the "Zetas" gang (ex-army commandos and the muscle of the Gulf Drug Cartel) may have come into possession of the SA-7 Grail missile.