Moscow’s arms to Syria would prevent NATO op of kind used in Libya

Special to WorldTribune.com

Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com

The regime of Syria’s Bashar Assad has been receiving a steady supply of weapons from Russia to boost its military capability and maintain its survival in the face of growing international condemnation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (right) meets with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Feb. 7. /Reuters

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended his country’s arms shipments to Damascus.

“We don’t supply firearms and what we supply is not used in the conflict,” said Lavrov in Munich last week.

That may be true. However, the weapons Russia does supply to Syria are vital to sustain the Assad regime and prevent a type of NATO-assisted operation that helped overthrow the repressive Gadhafi regime in Libya last year.

According to Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti, in recent weeks Moscow delivered to Damascus a new shipment of the improved air-launched anti-ship X-31A missiles and air-launched anti-radar X-31P missiles.

Russia is also fulfilling a defense contract to deliver 24 MiG fighters and Tor-M2E SAMs that will equip six missile battalions.

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