Syria purchases AAM, Isreal cries foul at not being able to flagrantly foul

[Dr Strangelove]

I wonder if we sold our anti-artillery radar system to the Israelis? If they have that then they don't really need aircraft to respond to mortar fire. All they need is to plug the co-ordinates into their own artillery. Supposedly the system is accurate enough that there's a high probability of hitting a target within the first minute of counter-battery fire.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by GePap
The real basic difference though are Israel's 200 air-delivered fission bombs vs. Russia's 6000 Fusion devices on intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Which are useless, since I'm sure as soon as the satellites see rocket launches in Russia we've got nuclear holocaust anyway.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Lancer
Drake, you REALLY need to start a thread about that.

GePap, they just need to make an alliance with someone like the Azerbijohnies. Then they just sail over in regular freighters and hit Russia in their soft moslem underbelly.

There are at most 10 million Jews in Israel. They don't have the man power to be anything but a regional power.

[Drake Tungsten]

There are only around 700,000 Mongols united under Genghis Khan. They don't have the man power to be anything but a regional power.

[Ted Striker]

Striker Warriors would PWN anyway

[Ned]

Originally posted by Lancer
"Lancer, if I were Israel, I would draw a line in the sand now that Russia is selling missles to Syria. No more or else."

With who? Russia? Syria?

A couple of armored cavalry regiments, one opposite Syria and one in the Sinai. Then let the Russians sell what they may. Really Ned, there's no stopping the arms trade. If they don't get it from the Russians they'll get it from a real enemy, like France.

I think we should enforce an arms embargo on Syria until they control Hezbollah, etc. Buying a lot of Russian AA missiles is destabalizing.

[lord of the mark]

russia under Putin HAS reached out to Israel, and evidently does see Israel as important. Why?

1. Israel can sell high technology, which Russia needs.
2. Russia wants to be influential in the mideast region. The ability to have an influence on the peace process adds to that influence - and to have such influence Russia must have a relationship with Israel. If the US is the only country with influence on Israel, and if the arabs want a settlement with Israel, then the US is whom they must turn to.
3. Russia and Israel cooperate against terrorism.

Russia will of course balance this against their economic need to sell weapons, and their desire to maintain influence in Syria, which may be more important to them.

Note - while an Israeli-Russian was is fantasy, it should be noted that Israel DOES have decent relations with many ex-Soviet muslim republics. Of course it helps that their leaders are generally secularists.

[Ned]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


Note - while an Israeli-Russian was is fantasy, it should be noted that Israel DOES have decent relations with many ex-Soviet muslim republics. Of course it helps that their leaders are generally secularists.

WTF does this mean? It is my observation that secularlists generally object to Israel per se because it is a "Jewish" state.

[Ned]

BTW, we already have imposed US sanctions on Syria. What we need is for the UN to step up to the plate and go to bat for peace.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Oerdin


There are at most 10 million Jews in Israel. They don't have the man power to be anything but a regional power.

Actually, there are only about five million, plus three million Palestinians in Israel and the OTs. There are more Jews in the US than Israel.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Ned
BTW, we already have imposed US sanctions on Syria. What we need is for the UN to step up to the plate and go to bat for peace.

Sanctions for defenseive weapons?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Ned


WTF does this mean? It is my observation that secularlists generally object to Israel per se because it is a "Jewish" state.

that secular muslim leaders of ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia are more inclined to have decent relations with Israel than Islamists. I wouldnt generalize from North American or western european agnostics to the kinda folks who run Uzbekistan.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


Actually, there are only about five million, plus three million Palestinians in Israel and the OTs. There are more Jews in the US than Israel.

barely. And the Jewish population in Israel is steadily increasing (birth rate, immigration) while that in the US is stagnant or slowly decreasing. They're gonna pass us any year now.

[Sirotnikov]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
No, Hezbollah. I couldn't remember their name, but Siro remembered for me. Whle Syria does aid Hezbollah, they Hezbollah attacks from areas formerly occupied by Israel, not areas occupied by Syria.

Israel has left Lebanon 5 years ago, and Syria is the only factor really in charge in Lebanon, and the only one besides Iran that can reign in Hezbullah.

As for Israeli's air threat being somewhat neutralized, oh well. Maybe they'll have to negotiate for peace with Syria and consider returning the Golan.

Maybe - if you believe Assad's intentions of demobilizing Hezbullah - Israel and the USA certainly do not believe his intentions.

Originally posted by Spiffor

So in short, the Russians are doing something bad, because they help preventing the Israelis for bombing however they please?

In Short- the Russians are changing the current balance of power where Syria's strategy of attacking by proxy (supporting Hezbullah, Hamas and PIJ) is countered by an Israeli threat of reprisal.

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat


Israel's nuclear arsenal, not to mention the superior training and skill of the IDF compared to the Syrians will assure that Israel can act any time it deems that it needs to do so, and there won't be **** the Syrians can do about it.

Nice to see you after a long absense

Yet I have to disagree.

The whole point of a nuclear arsenal is not using it, especially for small scale reprisals over terrorist attacks. Or do you suggest we nuke them the next time Hezbullah attacks?

Israel uses air superiority for two purposes:
1) a threat of small-scale immediate reprisal for a Syrian policy of allowing Hezbullah to operate freely against Israel

2) a strategy of aerial superiority in a scenario of war.

The said arms shipment would hurt this balance.

Furthermore, objectively - it would increase the chances of continued Syrian support for Hezbullah's agressiveness without fear of Israeli reprisal.

[Az]

@ Thread.

Nobody gives a **** about Syria having the missiles. It's who Syria gives these weapons out ( in a perfectly defensive manner, of course!) is what the problem.

Generally, I say we should **** up Syria real hard, as much as you can. They're commiting direct agressions against us, like, for example They're sending Syrian mercenary snipers (Which are very well-trained, probably better than the Israeli snipers) to fight with the terrorists in Gaza, for example.