ISRAEL IS CAPABLE OF TAKING OUT S-300 AND S-400, BUT WON'T DO THIS – PUBLICIST
The deployment of
the Russian-made S-300 in Syria has not brought an end to Israeli military
operations in the region, Israeli publicist Avigdor Eskin has told Sputnik.
"Israel is
capable of overcoming both S-300 and S-400," Israeli publicist and
political commentator Avigdor Eskin told Sputnik. "As a matter
of fact, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) did it successfully several times
in Syria."
Regardless
of this, Israel does not have any intention to spoil its working
relations with Moscow, the political commentator underscored.
"The issue is
rather political and not military," Eskin explained. "Israel does not
want to harm positive and constructive relations with Russia. We do
not want to demonstrate our
far advanced superiorityover Russian air forces. We have no intentions
of controlling Syria and therefore we will always look for friendly compromise
with the Russians."
In October, Moscow
delivered the S-300 system to Syria following the accidental downing
of the Russian Il-20 surveillance plane by Syrian forces
in September 2018. The incident was blamed on the IAF which was
conducting military operations in the Syrian airspace at the time
of tragedy. Tel Aviv vehemently denied the accusations.
Eskin's comment
comes in response to reports
of Israel's alleged training to take out the Russian-made S-300 long
range surface-to-air missile systems during its latest drills
in Greece.
It is not the
first time that media have reported about the IAF's tests apparently aimed
at finding ways to overcome Russia's advanced missile systems.
On December 4,
2015 Reuters wrote,
citing unnamed military and diplomatic sources that "Israel… quietly
tested ways of defeating an advanced air-defence system that Russia has
deployed in the Middle East and that could limit Israel's ability
to strike in Syria or Iran," during its military exercises
with Greece.
The media outlet
specified that to that end Greece and Israel, who had "experienced a
boom in [bilateral] ties" since 2010, used the Russian S-300 system
that was sold to Cyprus in 1997 and then, under the pressure
from NATO, moved to the Greek island of Crete in 2007.
The Greek and
Israeli militaries neither confirmed nor denied whether they used the S-300
system during drills held in the Eastern Mediterranean in 2014,
2012 or 2010.
Israel is
'Satisfied with What Russia is Doing in Syria'
"The whole
outcome of this war for us is a great victory of Israel,"
he said. "As you know, Syria has never terminated the status of war
de jure vis-à-vis Israel."
Syria and Israel
have technically been at a state of war since the establishment
of the state of Israel in 1948. Damascus still continues
to be part of the Arab League boycott of Israel.
"Whereas
their army was estimated in 2011 as being over three hundred
thousand soldiers, today it is around twenty five thousand," the
publicist remarked. "And there is no military presence of Israel
in Syria. So we have nothing to complaint about."
"Never say
never," Eskin said. "But
there is no need to do this. We will not hit any targets, which are
under the auspices of President Assad and his loyal forces. There is
no foreseeable reason to do this."
Israeli Ops
in Syria
Answering the
question whether the IAF still continues its air raids in Syria, Eskin
said that "Israel
has never stopped the necessary operationsin Syria against those
who threaten our existence."
"The only
difference is that we will try harder to prevent unnecessary
publications," he opined. "I also believe that it will go
down soon dramatically, because Iran will not be able to finance
these operations abroad."
However, Al-Masdar
News reported, citing an unnamed military source in Damascus, that the IAF
had not carried out any operations in Syria since Russia
delivered the S-300 system to the Syrian Arab Army in early October.
The views and
opinions expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect those
of Sputnik.
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