DEFIANT: Russia To Sell At Least 10 MiG Fighter Jets To Syria

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MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s MiG aircraft maker said Friday it plans to sign a new agreement to ship at least 10 fighter jets to Syria, a move that comes amid international criticism of earlier Russian weapons deals with Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime.

MiG’s director general, Sergei Korotkov, said a Syrian delegation was in Moscow to discuss the details of a new contract for the delivery of MiG-29 M/M2 fighters. In remarks carried by Russian news agencies, he said Syria wants to buy “more than 10” such fighters, but wouldn’t give the exact number.

Russia has said it’s only providing Assad with weapons intended to protect Syria from a foreign invasion, such as air defense missile systems. It has claimed it is not delivering weapons that could be used in Syria’s two-year civil war, which has killed more 70,000 people and sent millions fleeing the country.

But the delivery of MiGs would contradict that claim and expose Russia to global criticism, so the Kremlin might think twice before giving the go-ahead.

A MiG spokesman wouldn’t comment on Korotkov’s statement, and the MiG chief could be referring to a deal the company previously negotiated with Syria that apparently has been put on hold amid the civil war.

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Russia Delivers First Shipment of Missiles to Syria

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Syria has received the first shipment of Russian missiles that are part of a more sophisticated air defense system, President Bashar Assad told Lebanon’s Hezbollah-owned TV channel, according to remarks released by the station Thursday.

Assad’s comment on the arrival of the long-range S-300 air defense missiles in Syria could further ratchet up tensions in the region and undermine efforts to hold U.N.-sponsored talks with Syria’s warring sides.

Israel’s defense chief, Moshe Yaalon, said earlier this week that Russia’s plan to supply Syria with the weapons was a threat and that Israel was prepared to use force to stop the delivery.

Al-Manar TV, owned by the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, released Assad’s comments on the Russian missiles in print, through its breaking news service Thursday morning.

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VIDEO: ‘DECLARATION OF WAR’ | Israeli Rocket Strike on Syria Military Site

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Syria says strikes on targets near Damascus, believed to have been carried out by Israel, “open the door to all possibilities”.

Information Minister Omran Zoabi spoke after an emergency cabinet meeting organized to respond to the attack, believed to have targeted missiles bound for Hezbollah.

The rockets hit a military research center in Jamraya on the outskirts of the capital in the early hours of this morning.

The building was the target of an earlier Israeli strike in January and Israeli radio has reported the latest attack has been confirmed by a senior security official.

A Western intelligence source said “stores of Fateh-110 missiles that were in transit from Iran to Hezbollah” were the target.

Video footage uploaded online by activists shows a huge ball of fire rising into the night sky.

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BREAKING: Officials Confirm Missiles Fired at Russian Airbus A320 Flying From Sharm el Sheikh to Kazan

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Two missiles were fired at a Russian passenger plane flying over Syrian territory with 200 people onboard, an informed source in Moscow told Interfax news agency. The source of the attack remains unknown.

“Syrian [officials] informed us that on Monday morning, unidentified forces launched two ground-to-air missiles which exploded in the air very close to a  civilian aircraft belonging to a Russian airline,” the source told the Russian agency.

The pilots managed to maneuver the plane in time however, “saving the lives of passengers.”

It is believed the aircraft was intentionally targeted in the attempted strike, “but it remains unclear whether the attackers knew whether it was Russian or not,” the source added.

UPDATE: Missiles Fired at Russian Plane with 200 Passengers Onboard Flying Over Syria

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Pilots of attacked Russian plane managed to maneuver jet in time, “saving lives of passengers”

Two missiles were fired at a Russian passenger plane flying over Syrian territory with 200 people onboard, an informed source in Moscow told Interfax news agency. The source of the attack remains unknown.

“Syrian [officials] informed us that on Monday morning, unidentified forces launched two ground-to-air missiles which exploded in the air very close to a  civilian aircraft belonging to a Russian airline,” the source told the Russian agency.

The pilots managed to maneuver the plane in time however, “saving the lives of passengers.”

It is believed the aircraft was intentionally targeted in the attempted strike, “but it remains unclear whether the attackers knew whether it was Russian or not,” the source added.

The passenger plane was en route to Russia after departing from an unspecified resort city in Egypt at the time of the reported attack.

So far, the incident has not been officially confirmed.

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