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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Russia upgrades radar station in Syria to aid Iran
2012-03-01
JERUSALEM -- Russia has upgraded a surveillance station it maintains in Syrian territory in order to provide Iran early warning of an Israeli attack, according to the Israeli security-related blog Debkafile.
Grain of salt but this certainly sounds reasonable. If there's ever a time for Putin and Co. to put their markers down, it's to defend Iran from an Israeli air strike. If the Israelis pull it off no one is going to want Russian air defense systems ever again.
The surveillance station, located south of Damascus, had been able to monitor air traffic in Israel as far south as Tel Aviv, as well as northern Jordan and western Iraq.

Since the upgrade, its range reportedly extends to all parts of Israel and Jordan and as far south as the northern part of Saudi Arabia.

According to the report, Russia has introduced cutting-edge technology to the station and expanded its manpower.
Is it good enough not to be jammed (again) by the Israelis? That's the key question.
Russia has taken a firm stand against any military attack on Iran or any attempt to force Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down.
This then adds to the reasons why Russia would veto any attempt to remove Pencilneck from Syria: both Russia and Iran need Syria as part of Iran's defense, and the Russians don't think that Assad's successor will be nearly as cooperative. That's a big flaw in their thinking; they should have had a successor lined up in the wings for just such occasions. Then they could have offered Assad a dacha on the Black Sea and kept things nice and quiet.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said this week that Russia is concerned about the threat of an attack against Iran.

"If it happens, the fallout would be truly catastrophic," he said, also warning that any outside attempt to displace Mr. Assad would open Syria to "a Libyan scenario."

Debkafile said the upgrade of the electronic surveillance station at Jabal Al Harrah was in response to concern expressed by Iran that the station's resources were being stretched to the limit by providing so much intelligence to the Assad regime in Syria that Tehran no longer could rely on its real-time warnings of an Israeli attack.

The monitoring station had been providing Mr. Assad with information on the Syrian resistance movements.
That's a little strange: Pencilneck needs radar warning of what the resistance is doing?
Russia also has expanded the capabilities of a Russian-equipped Syrian radar station on Lebanon's Mount Sannine in order to extend its range to include Cyprus and Greece, and observe U.S. and Israeli naval and aerial movements in the eastern Mediterranean.

This expansion also would permit Russia to provide Tehran with a warning if American planes head east from the Mediterranean in the direction of Iran.

While the upgrade of Jabal Al Harrah was under way from January through mid-February, the Russian aircraft carrier Kuznetsov was in the Syrian port of Tartus, where its electronic systems maintained an alert for possible Israeli air formations heading east.
It's interesting that the Russians were worried enough to do this. Wonder what is going on behind the scenes...
Posted by:Steve White

#10  they should have had a successor lined up in the wings for just such occasions They are most likely working on that right now.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2012-03-01 18:53  

#9  Incidentally, the carrier and its support group in Tartus could actually be backhanded support for a strike on various complexes in Iran - a buy off during the clean up . Internationally, the scales need to be balanced to save face

Who knows ? - half the fun though eh , this is the most fascinating and interesting play of gamesmanship and brinkmanship for a loooong time
Posted by: MacNails   2012-03-01 17:25  

#8  Nice turn of phrase g(r)omgoru , unfortunately we are beyond the point of preclude . To give a British understatement ... I cant see anything on the horizon apart from a major situation aka fuck up based on Russian and Chinese arse covering . It will be interesting to see how they untangle the fish nets on this one , especially when they've had 20 years to sort their backyard out yet happily sat on the apathy band wagon whilst raking in the finances .
Posted by: MacNails   2012-03-01 17:11  

#7  Or to preclude a "kinetic action".
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2012-03-01 16:48  

#6   "It's interesting that the Russians were worried enough to do this. Wonder what is going on behind the scenes..."

a russian firesale and extraction - the impending disress on russian foreign affairs needs to be nipped in the bud by the Kremlin - call it 'cover ya asses boys , the truth may come out '

lex parsimoniae aka Okkams razor
Posted by: MacNails   2012-03-01 16:34  

#5  "If it happens, the fallout would be truly catastrophic," he said,

depends on the prevailing wind
Posted by: Frank G   2012-03-01 10:41  

#4  Wikileaks reported Israeli tech sold to Georgia and Russian codes for surveullance system they sold to, Iran exchanged so so Putin has made his strategic play to cover his butt with the mullahs--he better have a 360 pivot on his neck as he'll never know where or when the Reaper will come....
Posted by: Omoluque Hapsburg8162   2012-03-01 10:29  

#3  "If it happens, the fallout would be truly catastrophic,"
An interesting turn of phrase, given northernly winds.
Posted by: Skidmark   2012-03-01 09:51  

#2  Is it good enough not to be jammed (again) by the Israelis? That's the key question.

But they didn't jam it. They spooked it, so the Syrians watching the screens didn't even know they'd come until they'd left.
Posted by: trailing wife    2012-03-01 09:31  

#1  Fine. They can use their new senses to add a new dimension to mess with their minds. It also suggests that everyone thinks the attack will be airborne.
Posted by: gorb   2012-03-01 04:56  

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