Israel: Syria ready to test Scud D missile

TEL AVIV -- Israel is bracing for the first Syrian test of the North Korean-developed Scud D, regarded as the most advanced in the Scud class of Soviet-designed ballistic missiles.

Israeli sources said Syria and North Korea have advanced in the development of the Scud D to the point where they are ready to stage the first test launch. The Scud D is reported to have a range of 700 kilometers, 200 kilometers more than the Scud C. The D model is also believed to be more accurate than the C model.

U.S. officials said the Scud D program is part of North Korea's missile exports to its clients in the Middle East. The United States has failed to elicit a pledge from Pyongyang to stop these exports.

"The North Koreans have always used the sale of military technology and/or weapons as a way to earn foreign currency," Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said. "They don't have many ways of earning foreign currency, and weapon sales or military technology has been one of those ways. So I think it's hard to separate their own development program, their own weapons development programs, on the one hand, from their foreign currency or cash-raising programs, on the other hand. They've been intimately related."

The Israeli Haaretz daily said on Friday that Syria is the only country in the Middle East with the Scud D. Iran, Syria's strategic ally, has the more advanced Shihab-3, with a range of 1,300 kilometers and a modification of North Korea's No-Dong.

The newspaper said the Scud D is already operational in Syria but still requires testing before full deployment. Haaretz said the launch of the Scud D is important for the new regime of President Bashar Assad to demonstrate his country's military prowess.

The Syrian deployment of the Scud D will allow the Assad regime to launch missiles from northern Syria into most of Israel. The Scud C can already reach all of Israel from south of Damascus.

Western defense sources said the North Korean development of the Scud D is linked to Iran's strategic ties with Damascus. Iran has helped finance North Korean projects in Syria.

On Thursday, Mehdi Abtahi, an envoy of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, stressed the continuation of strategic ties between Damascus and Teheran.