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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Russia Sent Advanced Anti-ship Cruise Missiles to Syria - Michael R. Gordon and Eric Schmitt
Russia has sent advanced anti-ship cruise missiles to Syria, American officials said Thursday. The Yakhont missiles delivered recently are outfitted with an advanced radar that makes them more effective.
The Yakhont anti-ship missile system "enables the regime to deter foreign forces looking to supply the opposition from the sea, or from undertaking a more active role if a no-fly zone or shipping embargo were to be declared," said Nick Brown, editor of IHS Jane's International Defense Review. "It's a real ship killer."
Syria ordered the coastal defense version of the Yakhont system from Russia in 2007 and received the first batteries in early 2011, according to Jane's. The missiles have a range of 180 miles.
(New York Times)
See also Russia to Go Ahead with S-300 Sale to Syria - Michael Wilner
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Lebanon's al-Mayadeen TV Thursday that Moscow planned to go ahead with its shipment of S-300 missiles to Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly urged Russian President Vladimir Putin in a meeting on Tuesday not to sell the state-of-the-art S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.
(Jerusalem Post)
See also Russia Upgrades Position on Syria - Zvi Magen
Russia's intention apparently is to use the missile issue as leverage to prevent foreign military intervention in Syria, and also to obtain additional concessions in negotiations with the West on formulating a settlement on Syria in the framework of an international conference.
During Netanyahu's visit, Russia apparently took a sympathetic approach and appeared willing to make various concessions. However, it is clear that concessions are not made without receiving something in return. The writer is a former Israeli ambassador to Russia.
(Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University)
See also CIA Chief Makes Unannounced Israel Visit Amid Growing Concerns over Syrian Weapons (AP-Washington Post)
- Russia Raises Stakes in Syria, Sends 12 Warships - Adam Entous, Julian E. Barnes and Gregory L. White
Russia has sent a dozen or more warships to patrol waters near its naval base at Tartus in Syria, a buildup that U.S. and European officials see as a newly aggressive stance meant partly to warn the West not to intervene in Syria's civil war. Russia's expanded presence in the eastern Mediterranean represents one of its largest sustained naval deployments since the Cold War. "It is a show of force. It's muscle flexing," a senior U.S. defense official said. "It is about demonstrating their commitment to their interests."
In the last three months, 10 to 15 Russian ships have been near Tartus at any one time, U.S. and European officials say. Russia currently has 11 ships in the eastern Mediterranean, including destroyers, frigates, support vessels and intelligence-collecting ships. The U.S. Navy has two destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean. U.S. officials believe that by assuring Russia that the base will remain under Moscow's control in a post-Assad Syria, the U.S. has a better chance of convincing Putin to break with Assad.
In addition, U.S. officials believe that Russia is moving more quickly to deliver S-300 surface-to-air defense systems to Syria.
U.S. officials say the S-300 system, which could make it more risky for any warplanes to enter Syrian airspace, could leave Russia for Tartus by the end of May.
(Wall Street Journal)
- Detainees Linked to Al-Qaeda Targeted U.S., French Embassies in Egypt - Paul Cruickshank, Reza Sayah, and Greg Botelho
The Egyptian prosecutor's office says three terrorists arrested over the weekend planned to detonate car bombs at the U.S. and French embassies in Cairo, as well as at an Egyptian army facility in Sinai, the state-run Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported Wednesday.
They were getting ready to attack when Egyptian police arrested them. (CNN)
- Congressmen Call on Abbas to Fire Official Who Glorified Terrorist
A bipartisan group of congressmen sent a letter to PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday strongly condemning Fatah official Sultan Abu Al-Einein following his "open support for the murderer of Eviatar Borovsky," and called for him to be removed from office. Borovsky, 31, an Israeli father of five, was killed April 29 as he waited for a bus in the West Bank.
Al-Einein called the terrorist a "heroic fighter."
Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), and Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) told Abbas that "allowing this type of incitement and hatemongering to take place within your ranks is intolerable if you are truly dedicated to non-violence. We ask that you publicly and officially denounce and condemn Mr. Al-Einein's remarks at once and remove him from his position in your government." (JTA)
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Top news, commentary, analysis, official documents, and reference materials on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. Stay informed on the most serious threat facing the Jewish people.
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