Diplomat promises supply of S-300 to Syria won’t spoil Russia-Israel relations

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has said the decision to provide S-300 air defense systems to Syria is a sovereign right of the two countries. He hopes that it will not spoil Russia-Israel relations.

"I don’t believe it will. Our relations [with Israel] are far wider. This is an important issue, of course. But it is also our right and the right of sovereign Syria," Bogdanov said, when asked if Russia’s decision to supply S-300 air defense systems to Syria might affect Russia’s relations with Israel.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday said that Syria’s air defense forces would be armed with S-300 air defense systems and that Russia’s radio-electronic warfare units will jam satellite navigation, onboard radars and communication systems of combat aircraft attacking targets in Syria. Also, he said that Russia would equip Syrian air defense command posts with automated control systems, previously supplied only to the Russian armed forces. Shoigu said it was one of the counter-measures to maintain security in Syria’s airspace after the loss of the Ilyushin-20 plane.