Does HAMAS get Russian air defense complex?
Last Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces declared they had destroyed a border-crossing HAMAS attack tunnel. That was the third destroyed tunnel in recent months, Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said.
The engineering structure penetrated hundreds of meters into both Israeli and Egyptian territory from the Gaza Strip. The tunnel, which was constructed differently from most tunnels in Gaza, began in the city of Rafah and crossed into Israel under the Kerem Shalom Crossing. “We understand this tunnel belongs to HAMAS,” Conricus said, adding the military believed the terror group saw it as a “significant asset.”
Some political and military observers believe the last attack of Israeli aviation may be caused because of HAMAS fighters got modern sophisticated anti-aircraft weapons. The latest incidents with Israeli aviation can indirectly confirm this assumption.
In addition, as recently reported, Israeli intelligence has recorded an interesting call of Mohammed Hamdan (who is an official in Palestinian Islamist movement) to his HAMAS leadership. Hamdan informed his command that it possible to obtain “a vengeance weapon for the Palestinians against the Israeli hawks”. Obviously, he meant the Air Force of Israel, since in the following sentence he referred to General Amikam Norkin, who heads this military branch.
As reported, the Israeli counterintelligence suspects Palestinians received a modern Russian air defense complex used in Syria. It could be a combined short to medium range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapon system Pantsir-S1 (NATO reporting name SA-22 Greyhound). It was deployed by the Russian military at Khmeimim Air Base in Syria to protect the air group, as well as at the Russian base near Tartus.
That could explain why Mohammed Hardman was wounded last Sunday in a car bomb blast in Lebanon’s southern port city of Sidon (HAMAS blames the Israeli security services for this).
Of course, the version that HAMAS got Russian sophisticated air defense weapons needs to be proved. However, in 2011 there were reports on the smuggling of Russian SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles and even more advanced weapon into Gaza. Moreover, all know Russia’s interests in the Arab-Israeli conflict, as well as its destabilizing behavior in the region. That can explain a motivation of Moscow.
Eventually, the causes and real goals of the Israeli air strike will become known. Is the Kremlin involved in this? That will cease to be a secret sooner or later.
If so, Moscow has to opposite to increase international pressure and to defend its strategic interests in the world.
