Damascus: Israeli air/naval forces hit 10 Syrian, Iranian, Hizballah targets.
One of Israel’s largest attacks is reported by Syrian sources to have swept across 10 targets across the country early Monday, July 1.
They included Damascus Mezza military airport; Iranian and Hizballah military facilities at Al Kiswa south of Damascus; the base of the Syrian 1st Division; the Syrian military “research” institute at Jumriyah; military facilities at Siniya; and a chain of Hizballah bases in the Qalamoun Mts straddling the Syrian -Lebanese frontier, as well as bases in the Homs district.
The attacks were said to have been conducted by Israeli jets from Lebanese air space and naval vessels.
Syrian sources reported that four people were killed in the attack and its air defence systemsintercepted some of the incoming Israeli missiles. They described powerful explosions and huge fires at Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hizballah bases in the Qalamoun Mountains and ambulances streaming to the scene.
Reliable military sources add that Israel delayed this latest round of attacks on Iranian and Hizballah positions in Syria to give US and Russian diplomacy a chance to reach understandings on the Syria situation.
When their effort ran into the ground last week, the Israeli military was ordered to go forward.
A large-scale operation became urgent when Iran and Hizballah were discovered to be preparing to embark on an operation against Israel, as part of Tehran’s campaign against US Middle East allies in retaliation for the Trump administration’s sanctions.
Israel’s wide-ranging strikes on the 1st of July were aimed at pre-empting that Iranian-Hizballah operation before it got off the ground.
Developing rapidly............
Russia offers Iran advanced S-400 air defence weapons ............
July 01, 2019
Moscow invites Tehran to bid for S-400 air defence systems, Russia media reported on Sunday, June 30.
Neither the US nor Israel figures in those reports, or last week’s deployment of US F-22 stealth jets to Qatar, amid a tense US-Iran standoff.
The Russian Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation military cooperation service was quoted as announcing: “We are open for discussions on delivering S-400 Triumph air defence systems, including to Iran… We have not received an official request from our partners on this matter yet.”
The advanced S-400 can intercept cruise missiles as well as warplanes.
It is now on offer to Iran although Moscow refused to supply them to the Islamic Republic last month.
This turnabout has come shortly after Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 summit and indicates that they made no progress towards bridging their differences on the Iranian and Syria issues.
The offer also signified the failure of the American, Russian and Israeli national security advisers, John Bolton, Nikolai Patrushev and Meir Ben-Shabbat, to reach a consensus on these issues when they met in Jerusalem five days ago.
On that occasion Patrushev stated that “Moscow has an interest in safeguarding Israel’s security.”
Military sources note that Tehran may find an opportunity to accept Moscow’s proposition in the course of the 5th International Military-Technical Forum taking place at the National Park in the Russian capital, with the participation of 120 nations and armies.
If this transaction does indeed go through, Iran will be the second Middle East nation to purchase the Russian S-400 weapons system, after Turkey, which expects delivery before the end of this year.
In Osaka, military sources add, President Trump told Turkish President Reccep Erdogan that Washington has withdrawn the threat of sanctions on his government for purchasing S-400’s from Russia, although it is the first NATO member to buy arms from Moscow.
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