(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - The security establishment's chief concern regarding the missile deal between Russia and Syria is that the arms could fall by indirect means into the hands of terror organizations in the territories, thus endangering Israeli civilian air traffic. A senior military official said Thursday that it was not too late to block the deal. Russia's commitment to sell only vehicle-mounted missiles and not shoulder-fired rockets (which would be easier to smuggle) does not alleviate Israel's fears because it is relatively easy to convert the weapon to a shoulder-launched missile. Valdmir Putin told Israel TV on Wednesday that the sale of the SA-18 missiles to Syria would hinder Israel's ability to fly over the residence of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
2005-04-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive