'Russian missiles could be passed on to Hezbollah'
Following Russia's announcement that it will transfer missiles to Syria, Defense Ministry fears weapons could fall into "wrong hands."
By JPOST.COM STAFF311_S-300 missile system(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The Defense Ministry issued a statement Saturday regarding publications that Russia intends to complete a deal to transfer cruise missiles to Syria. "This deal was signed two years ago and has been in the process of implementation for some time, despite Israel's appeals to Russia regarding the matter."Security officials warned that the Russian cruise missiles "are potentially dangerous weapons and they may come fall into the hands of Hezbollah, just as other weapons systems came from Syria."RELATED:Security and Defense: Channeling chutzpahBarak: Iranian ships crossing Suez part of 'wider scheme'Iranian warships arrive in Syria, witness saysThe announcement came after Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said that Russia would fulfill its contractual obligation and complete the transfer of cruise missiles to Syria, according to AFP.According to the report, news agencies in Moscow said the Kremlin did not intend to withdraw from the deal signed between the two countries in 2007, despite the objections of Israel and the United States.Also on Saturday, Iran and Syria agreed to cooperate on naval training, Iran's official news agency said on Saturday, Reuters reported."The two parties will cooperate with each other in training issues and the exchange of personnel," IRNA quoted the agreement, signed by the commanders of both navies, as saying, according to the report.The agreement came days after two Iranian warships – the Khark, which has 250 crew members and can carry three helicopters, and the Alvand, which is armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles – arrived at Syria's Latakia seaport on Thursday, sailing through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean.Yaakov Katz contributed to this report.
