TEL AVIV — Israel's military has discovered 39 Russian-origin missiles in
Hizbullah's arsenal in Lebanon.
Military sources said the Israel Army has collected 39 Russian-origin
anti-tank missiles from Hizbullah outposts in southern Lebanon. They said
the missiles included the AT-14 Kornet and the AT-13 Metis.
"Some of the missiles were still in their original packaging, which
identified them as having been manufactured in Russia," a military source
said.
The sources said photographs of the missiles were delivered to Russia in
September as evidence that weapons exported by Moscow ended up with
Hizbullah. They said the Kornets were exported to Syria in 2002.
"The [Israel] army also found bills of lading and serial numbers with
the missiles," the source said. "It is probable that some of these missiles
were ordered by Iran for Hizbullah via Syria."
The Hizbullah acquisition of Russian-origin missiles was discussed
during the visit by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Moscow. On
Wednesday, Putin met Russian President Vladimir Putin in a discussion said
to have focused on Iran's nuclear program.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov was also said to have met Olmert.
Last week, the Defense Ministry ordered tighter supervision over Russia's
arms exports.
"The determination that there should be supervision over arms exports
has been achieved," Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon said on Thursday.
Putin was said to have been angered by Israeli evidence that Iran and
Syria supplied Russian missiles to Hizbullah. But Putin was not expected to
sanction the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a leading Middle East
ally of Moscow.
"However, this does not mean that Russia will completely stop selling
weapons to Iran and Syria, as the Israelis want," the Moscow-based Vremya
Novostei daily said on Wednesday. "Cooperation with Teheran and Damascus,
including in the oil and gas and nuclear spheres, bring Moscow dividends --
and not only material. Russia plays a unique middleman role."
