'Syria has new radar from Iran'

'Wall Street Journal': Move meant to deter Israeli preemptive attack.

Assad Ahmadinejad 311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
Assad Ahmadinejad 311
(photo credit: Associated Press)
Iran has provided Syria with an advanced radar system that could give it early warning of an Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, quoting Israeli and US officials.
According to the report, information gathered by the radar could also be used by Hizbullah to increase its defenses and improve missile accuracy.

RELATED:
Is Israel arming in Saudi Arabia?
Opinion: Israel’s daunting task
Iran and Syria denied the occurrence of any radar transfer.
“Iran is engaged indeveloping Syrian intelligence and aerial detection capabilities, andIranian representatives are present in Syria for that express purpose,”the IDF Spokesman’s Office told the paper. “Radar assistance is onlyone expression of that cooperation.”
Placing advanced radar in Syria is strongly in Iran’s interest, theofficials said, as it would provide Iran with better visibility ofIsraeli airspace and could serve as an early warning of a developingIsraeli air strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Syria’s interest in advanced radar was probably enhanced by the IAFraid on an alleged nuclear reactor being built in Syria in September2007, when Syria’s air defenses failed to repel the attack.