Israel Matzav

Report: Israeli satellites spying on Russian support for Assad

Images captured earlier this month from the Eros-B, a dual-use imaging satellite owned and operated by ImageSat International, reveal high operational tempo at Latakia International Airport, where Moscow has based some 12 Su-25 fighters, a similar amount of Su-24 bombers, 16 Mi-35 attack helicopters and a small amount of Su-30 and Su-34 aircraft.

Outsized Antonov 124 and Ilyushin Il-76 cargo aircraft are seen offloading additional cargo, all of which is protected by at least one SAM-22 surface-to-air missile system.
In an image dated Oct. 10, support vehicles and open cockpit canopies indicate high levels of alert while another image taken on the same day shows a foursome of Su-30 attack fighters in so-called fast launch positions at the end of the runway.

Such imagery taken by the relatively low end of Israel’s satellite force represents a mere snapshot of the Jewish state’s persistent ability to monitor areas of interest throughout Syria and beyond.

With more than a handful of satellites orbiting the Earth at 90-minute intervals, Israel has multiple opportunities every day to revisit suspected sites.

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IDF officers and their Russian counterparts plan to hold their second round of so-called deconfliction talks in Moscow later next month, with an eye toward establishing a mechanism to prevent unintended consequences in the event that Russian and Israeli aircraft are flying in the same airspace.

Labels: Bashar al-Assad, drone, IAF, Russia, spying, Syria, Syrian uprising

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:13 PM