Russia has modernized two radars in Syria and Lebanon that could threaten U.S. or Israel’s ability to launch a surprise attack against Syria and Iran, Israeli DEBKAfile portal said on Monday.
The range of the Jabal Al Harrah electronic and surveillance station south of Damascus has been increased to cover all parts of Israel and Jordan, the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Saudi Arabia.
The range of a Russian-equipped Syrian radar stationed on Lebanon’s Mount Sannine has also been extended, and the data-sharing capability of both radars has been improved.
As a result, the radars are now capable of tracking “U.S. and Israeli naval and aerial movements in the Eastern Mediterranean up to and including Cyprus and Greece.”
“Moscow decided to boost its radar tracking and surveillance reach for Iran’s benefit in response to a complaint from Tehran that it could not longer count on Russia for a real-time alert on an incoming U.S. or Israeli military strike, because those resources were stretched to the limit in support of the Assad regime,” DEBKAfile said citing its sources in the U.S. military.
Russia is alarmed by the growing threat of a military strike on Iran, which is increasingly reported as being an option under consideration by Israeli and U.S. military planners as Tehran continues to move ahead with its uranium enrichment program.
Moscow proposes to recognize Iran’s right to develop a civilian nuclear program, including the right to enrich uranium in exchange for placing the country’s nuclear activities under the tight control of the International Atomic Energy Agency
At the same time, Russia has strongly opposed foreign interference in a political crisis in Syria and warned against a “Libyan scenario” in the country.
Earlier in February, Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-backed resolution calling on the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to step down.
Moscow believes that attempts to bring democracy through military intervention in the Arab world would compromise the existing system of international security and “backfire with catastrophic consequences to the world.”
