Israel eyes Syria's growing military

JERUSALEM , Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The Israeli military says Syria has built the most advanced anti-aircraft network in the world using Russian-supplied systems, an Israeli newspaper said Monday.

The senior source told the Yedioth Ahronoth daily there are more than 200 ground-to-air missile batteries in Syria, and there is concern about Russian plans to build permanent military facilities in Syria as part of a larger arms deal, Ynetnews reported.

The source said there also is concern Russian ships may try to spy on Israel's weapon systems, the report said.

The military source said intelligence revealed Syria studied the Israeli air force's performance during the 38-day war last summer with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and has since invested large sums of money in anti-aircraft systems.

The Institute for National Security Studies recently issued a report saying part of the deal includes SA-24 missile systems, an armored vehicle armed with four Igla-S missiles, which is among the most advanced shoulder-fired missiles on the market.