Israel prepared to destroy Russian S-300 missile systems in Syria
Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman has commented on the possible delivery of Russian S-300 air defense systems to Syria.
According to Lieberman, Israel’s only concern regarding the systems delivery is which targets the systems may be used against. The Minister stressed that Israel’s problem is not Russia, as Russian air defense systems have already been deployed in Syria and not used against Israel.
“What's important to us is that the defensive weapons the Russians are giving Syria won't be used against us. If they're used against us, we'll act against them," Lieberman said in an interview with the Israeli publication Ynetnews.
During the interview, he noted that defensive weapons are part of Syria’s internal affairs. However, if weapons were purchased in Iran, Israel would closely monitor the situation.
"On the other hand, we won't allow Iran to flood [the country] with advanced weapons systems that would be aimed against Israel," Lieberman said.
The Minister stressed that Israel is always open to dialogue on these issues and has been able to "avoid friction with the Russians."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier that issues regarding the delivery of the S-300 systems to Damascus had not yet been resolved, while Arab and Israeli media reported that weapons had already arrived in Syria.