(Telegraph-UK) Damien McIlroy - Western diplomats in Beirut believe that Damascus will use Hizballah as a "forward defensive shield" against Israel. According to one diplomat, Syria is preparing to equip Hizballah with Russian-made SA-18 surface-to-air missiles, which have a range of more than 16,000 feet, to target Israeli planes. Hizballah, which is also funded by Iran, is believed to have a stockpile of 10,000 short and long-range rockets capable of landing in Israeli territory, but the few surface-to-air missiles it currently has are antiquated and pose little threat to the Israeli airforce.
2003-10-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive