Hezbollah acquires advance Russian air-defense systems
(Worthy News) – Israeli intelligence has confirmed to the German newspaper Bild, that Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist army that has vowed to destroy the Jewish state, has acquired advanced Russian anti-aircraft weapons systems that were given by the Russian military to the Syrian armed forces, reports The Times of Israel. The SA-17 Buk missile battery is a game changer and will directly threaten Israeli aircraft operating in northern Israel and the region.
This development would be “interesting,” said Nadav Pollack, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Studies, whose research focuses on Hezbollah. “It’s a big deal. Israel calls these weapons ‘tie-breakers,’ ” Pollack said, using a Hebrew phrase similar to the English “game-changer.” The Buk is a derivative of the system that shot down a civilian airliner over East Ukraine, killing all aboard, in 2014.
The SA-17 can target high to low altitude aircraft at medium range and is mobile, making it harder to find and destroy. Israel has destroyed multiple anti-aircraft systems before while being transferred to Hezbollah. Many analysts believe these were in fact SA-17s, highlighting the seriousness with which the Israeli Air Force views the weapon. [ … Read More (Source) ]