S E C R E T TEL AVIV 005796

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2015
TAGS: PREL PARM SY IS GOI EXTERNAL MILITARY RELATIONS
SUBJECT: EILAND REQUESTS USG PRESSURE TO STOP RUSSIA-SYRIA
MISSILE DEAL


Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (S) National Security Advisor Giora Eiland contacted the
Ambassador September 23 to seek USG pressure on the Russian
government to stop what he said is a possibly imminent
agreement to sell Pantsir ground-to-air missiles to Syria.
Eiland said the deal could be signed as early as next week
during the Syrian chief of staff's visit to Moscow. He
described the Pantsir deal as being worth tens of millions of
dollars and said it could be the first in a series of deals
including air-to-air and ground-to-ground missile systems.
The Ambassador agreed to convey Eiland's concern.


2. (S) Eiland described the Panstir as being medium-range or
30-kilometer range. Information available to post describes
the system as a combination gun-missile system featuring two
twin-barrelled 30-millimeter cannons, 1,400 rounds of
ammunition, and 12 ready-to-fire missiles on a wheeled
chassis. It appeared in the late '90s and is designed for
point defense against a wide variety of modern air targets,
from UAVs to cruise missiles.


3. (S) Eiland said that he would be in Moscow Sunday for
periodic talks with Igor Ivanov and stressed that no one
should misinterpret the coincidence of his presence there at
the same time as the Syrians to speculate on talks between
the two.

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