MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Israel will not be able to target the Russian S-300 air defense systems deployed in Syria, Ali Larijani, the Iranian parliament speaker stated.
“I don’t think that the Israelis are able to take a serious step, and [I believe] that Russia has the right to deploy the S-300 air defense systems in Syria and to protect its interests, especially after the Israeli attack on the Russian aircraft. This is Russia’s lawful right,” Larijani said in an interview, commenting on the Israeli official claims that the S-300s could be defeated by Israel’s stealth fighters and possibly destroyed on the ground.
On October 3, Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said that the US F-35 fighters of the Israeli Air Force could defeat the newly delivered S-300s, as the former’s operational abilities were higher.
On September 24, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russia would deliver new S-300 air defense systems to Syria in a move to boost the security of the Russian troops in Syria following the fatal downing of the Russian Il-20 plane that the Russian Defense Ministry holds the Israeli Air Force responsible for. The Israeli jets used the Russian aircraft as a shield against Syrian air defense systems, according to Russia’s military.
On October 2, the delivery has been completed. Just a day later, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel was unhappy about the S-300 delivery to Syria, but could not abandon its military operations in the Arab country.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
