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The Crisis over the Downed Russian Plane

(Twitter) Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin - Israel and Russia are not enemies and there's no reason for a confrontation between them. Russia knows perfectly well that Israel strikes in Syria only because of the Iranian activity. The S-300 delivery to Syria doesn't change the strategic balance. No air defense system is impregnable or indestructible. Israel has F-35s which were designed with exactly such systems in mind. A Russian-operated S-400 system has been in Syria for years, never launching against Israel or U.S. aircraft. If Syrian crews operate the S-300, Israel will know how to hit it. Russian air defense systems' reputation will take a hit. Bottom line: Israel may well be more cautious in some marginal cases. Faced with a dilemma whether to let an Iranian threat grow next door and taking a higher tactical risk and some inconvenience with Russia, its leaders will not sit on their hands watching. The writer, former head of IDF Military Intelligence, is director of the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.
2018-09-26 00:00:00
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