Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy said Wednesday that Moscow would soon deliver the S-300 long range surface-to-air missile systems to Damascus, challenging Israel and Western countries, including the US.
“Russian specialists will continue training Syrian military personnel, as well as assist in the development of new air defense systems, the deliveries of which will be carried out in the near future,” he said.
The announcement was made in wake of the US, Britain and France launching an air strike against Syrian regime chemical facilities on April 14. The raid was in response to a regime chemical attack on the town of Douma a week earlier that left at least 40 people dead.
Rudskoy said the Syrian Defense Ministry “analyzed in detail” the results of the Western strike.
Russian specialists found the traces of only 22 missiles that struck Syrian targets. The American military had announced that 105 missiles were fired.
Meanwhile, as Moscow was exerting efforts to ease tension between Tel Aviv and Tehran, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman arrived in Washington on Wednesday to hold meetings on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and Tehran’s expansion in Syria, particularly along the Israeli-Syrian ceasefire lines on the Golan Heights.
Elsewhere, the Second Brussels Conference on "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region" pledged $4.4 million for war-torn Syria, falling short of a target of $9 million.
Held on April 24 and 25, the conference brought together 86 delegations and 57 countries.
It reaffirmed that only an inclusive, comprehensive and genuine political solution in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolution 2254 and the Geneva I declaration will ensure a sustainable end to the Syrian conflict, prevent regional escalation and a return of ISIS, and guarantee a peaceful and prosperous future for Syria and the region.
Participants pledged, for both Syria and the region, $4.4 billion for 2018, as well as multi-year pledges of $3.4 billion for 2019-20.
More than 12 million people have now been displaced by the conflict, including more than 5.6 million refugees hosted in neighboring countries and 6.6 million displaced inside Syria.
