Tel Aviv: The Russians have sent its S-300 air defence system that was deployed in Syria to Ukraine to help protecting the Russian troops. According to images from an Israeli spy satellite, the S-300 system that was deployed near the city of Masyaf in north-western Syria had been taken apart in recent weeks. This system was operational for some years.

The system was transferred to the port of Tartus where it was loaded onto a Russian ship bound for the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The battery was transferred back to Russia in order to support the Russian air defences, a report prepared by ISI, the Israeli company that operates the satellite said.

The S-300 has been deployed in Syrian in 2018. It was not considered a threat to the Israeli air force aircraft that are attacking Iranian related targets in Syria. But in May, the Russians in Syria launched a missile from one of their S-300 air defence systems towards Israeli fighter jets.

No official in Israel was ready to comment on the S-300 missile launch. Sources said that the only possible explanation is the Israeli declarations about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and what they called “the result of the deteriorating power of the Kremlin on its overseas units” and of the poor situation of the Russians in Ukraine.

Israeli sources said that the S-300 battery launched a missile in the direction of the Israeli fighter aircraft when they turned to fly back to Israeli after performing the attack. The sources added that the missile has not endangered the fighter aircraft. This missile launch surprised Israel that so far during hundreds of air strikes on Iranian related targets in Syria, it has not encountered any Russian reaction. There is a Red Line connecting the headquarters of the IDF with this of the Russian defence forces.

The S-300 launch comes while Israel is accelerating its ongoing campaign aimed at foiling the Iranian plan to make Syria a state fully controlled by Tehran. Until the launch of the S-300 and in spite of the Israeli condemnation of its invasion of Ukraine, the Israeli air force freedom of action in the Syrian airspace was not interrupted by the Russian forces in Syria.