Marlowe's Shade

Thursday, January 13, 2005

Syrian Missile Deal

From the Jerusalem Post

This is the first I've heard of this. Ominous news for both the US and Israel.

Israel anticipates that the US will use its leverage to help scuttle a Russian arms deal to Syria because of concern that sophisticated missiles would be smuggled into Iraq and endanger American troops there, senior diplomatic officials said Wednesday.

After two weeks of whispers and rumors about a crisis in Israeli-Russian ties, Israeli officials confirmed that the disagreement was over a large weapons deal to Syria that reportedly includes the Igla SA-18, among the most sophisticated shoulder-held anti-aircraft missiles on the market, and the Iskander-E ground-to-ground missiles.

Syrian President Bashar Assad is scheduled to visit Moscow on January 24 to sign the deal, the first major Russian weapons deal to Syria in more than a decade.


I've heard rumors that the US is planning a strike on Syrian on the 20th of this month. Nothing I've been able to confirm.
papijoe 8:49 AM
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