February 22, 2012 FARS - worldwide-defence

TEHRAN (FNA) - Iran's air defense force assessed the preparedness and performance of its air defense artillery and mid-range missile systems against low-altitude aerial threats during the military drills along the country's coastal waters in the Persian Gulf.

Iran's air defense force assessed the preparedness and performance of its air defense artillery and mid-range missile systems against low-altitude aerial threats during the military drills along the country's coastal waters in the Persian Gulf.

The drills were staged by the air defense units of the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on the second day of the 'Sarallah' wargames underway in Iran's Southern regions. In the current phase of the drills, hypothetical enemy aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) intruded into the airspace of the wargames' general zone in low altitude but were detected, identified and confronted by Iran's integrated air defense network's electronic systems. The performance of 35mm Orlican air defense artillery systems, Skyguard and Rapier air defense systems which are now equipped with electro optic and laser telemeters was assessed in the drills. Iran has recently renewed and upgraded the weapons and defense systems of its air defense units. Late in September, Iran equipped its air defense units across the country with large numbers of the home-made Mersad Air Defense Missile System. In November and during the massive air defense exercises in Iran, the power, capability, weapons and military systems of the Rapid Reaction units of Iran's Air Defense Force were tested. The Iranian Air Defense Force's rapid reaction units used their state-of-the-art, home-made weapons and systems, including multi-frequency radar equipment, anti-aircraft canons and different types of air defense missiles to force hypothetical enemy aircraft out of the country's air space. Later in the drills, the rapid reaction units tested their ability against the hypothetical enemies' surprised night raids and blitzkrieg with full radio silence.

NEW YORK, Feb. 21 (UPI)

Israel, struggling with rogue Palestinian missile launches of indigenous Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip, has deployed countermeasures.

While the Iron Dome anti-ballistic missile system has previously been deployed in southern Israel, the new positioning reportedly protects the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, which is now within rocket range.

Yeshiva World News, a New York publication, reported Monday that Israeli officials said they are pleased with the Iron Dome's performance in country's southern areas, claiming a kill rate of 75 percent of incoming rocket threats from the Palestinian, Hezbollah-controlled Gaza Strip.

Iron Dome is a mobile air defense system, developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, specifically designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells in all-weather situations. Iron Dome was declared operational and initially deployed last March 27 near Beersheba.

More than two dozen Israeli civilians have been killed in rocket attacks from Gaza Strip militants over the past 10 years. The consistent barrage of rockets from the Palestinian-controlled area led the Israelis to develop a series of missile defense.

Iron Dome is still being fine-tuned, with an Israeli army spokesman saying, "The Iron Dome is still being fully integrated into the (military)."

Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz last week visited an Iron Dome battery deployed in southern Israel. He met with Aerial Defense Network Commander Brig. Gen. Doron Gavish and the head of the Home Front Command Maj. Gen. Eyal Eisenberg.

"I wish for the sake of the people of Israel that we wouldn't have to intercept more rockets, though I don't see that happening," Gantz said. "There are many challenges ahead."

"The visit was very important," Gavish said. "The chief of staff came to appreciate the level of preparedness of the battery. We presented the experience and progress we have achieved after recent escalations.

"The chief of staff commended the work and progress of the system, boosting the morale of the soldiers and commanders."

On Monday the Israeli army unveiled plans to stop buying military hardware and equipment from Rafael and to halt building additional Iron Dome stations, even though the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama last year allocated an additional $205 million in supplementary assistance to create four additional Iron Dome facilities, in addition to the two owned by the Israeli army.

Under the terms of an Israeli-U.S. agreement, Israel is to pay for one-third of the cost of Iron Dome stations with the United States donating the remainder of funds needed.

February 22, 2012 FARS - worldwide-defence

TEHRAN (FNA) - Iranian air defense forces tested their capability to detect and repel enemy air raid in the massive wargames currently underway in Southern Iran. Iranian Air Defense Unit started massive air defense drills, codenamed 'Sarallah', in Iran's Southern regions on Monday to test the latest radar and missile defense systems.

Iranian air defense forces tested their capability to detect and repel enemy air raid in the massive wargames currently underway in Southern Iran. Iranian Air Defense Unit started massive air defense drills, codenamed 'Sarallah', in Iran's Southern regions on Monday to test the latest radar and missile defense systems.

During the current phase of drills, the air defense units of the Iranian Armed Forces under the command of Khatam ol-Anbia base managed to detect and identify invading aircraft and started confrontation with the enemy warplanes using air defense systems and Scramble and CAP air defense planes. Later, the invading planes started waging electronic warfare to disrupt air defense systems but they were forced to leave the Iranian airspace after their raid failed and they were defeated by the air defense units' anti-jamming and electronic warfare measures. Iran's home-made air defense radar systems can easily detect cruise missiles and drones. Last week, Commander of Khatom ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli announced that the country's Armed Forces have launched new radar and missile systems with various ranges. Tens of radar and missile systems with various ranges have been manufactured and deployed in Iran's defense sector so far and new systems are on their way to join the defense network during the 10-Day Dawn celebrations, which began on February 1 to mark the 33th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Esmayeeli said at the time. Iran has recently renewed and upgraded the weapons and defense systems of its air defense units. Late in September, Iran equipped its air defense units across the country with large numbers of the home-made Mersad Air Defense Missile System. In November and during the massive air defense exercises in Iran, the power, capability, weapons and military systems of the Rapid Reaction units of Iran's Air Defense Force were tested. The Iranian Air Defense Force's rapid reaction units used their state-of-the-art, home-made weapons and systems, including multi-frequency radar equipment, anti-aircraft canons and different types of air defense missiles to force hypothetical enemy aircraft out of the country's air space. Later in the drills, the rapid reaction units tested their ability against the hypothetical enemies' surprised night raids and blitzkrieg with full radio silence.

source Mer et Marine

Feb 22, 2012 By M K Bhadrakumar - Asia Times Online

A flotilla of Iranian warships crossed the Suez Canal and docked at the Syrian port of Tartus on Saturday. Iran's Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the mission displays Iran's "might" despite 30 years of relentless sanctions.

The flotilla comprised the 18th Fleet of the Iranian navy. The warships would hold exercises and will "train Syrian naval forces under an agreement signed between Tehran and Damascus one year ago".

The influential cleric and deputy chairman of the Majlis' (parliament's" National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Hossein Ebrahimi said:

    "The presence of Iran and Russia's flotillas along the Syrian coasts has a clear message against the United States' possible adventurism. In case of any US strategic mistake in Syria, there is a possibility that Iran, Russia and a number of other countries will give a crushing response to the US."

The activities of the Iranian warships at Tartus (which is also used by the Russian navy) will be keenly watched by the regional countries - Turkey, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, in particular. Unconfirmed reports appeared recently that veterans of Iran's Qods Force (a special unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps) might be dispatched to Syria to assist the regime.

Simply put, Iran's message to Turkey and its Arab allies (which are arming and supporting the Syrian opposition) will be: "Brothers, if you keep doing this, so can we." There is much food for thought here for these countries - especially the oil monarchies - as they gather in Tunis this coming Sunday for the first meeting of the "Friends of Syria".

For Turkey, the Iranian warships have arrived in Syria at an awkward time. The Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported that the Syrian army had captured 40 Turkish intelligence officers involved in subversive activities and over the past week Ankara has been "conducting intensive negotiations" with Damascus to secure their freedom. But the latter insists in return Turkey ending weapon transfers and infiltrations, and, furthermore, wants Iran to be the mediator. Ha'aretz noted:

    Western officials fear that Iranian military presence along with Russian aid could turn Syria into a center of international friction much worse than the struggle inside Syria. They fear that the control over actions in Syria will be taken over by a Russian-Iranian "partnership" which would exclude the European Union and Turkey ...

Testing times

However, Tehran is also testing the waters. Under international law, Iran enjoys the right of passage for its warships to pass through Red Sea and the Suez Canal. But Egypt's equations with Iran remain ambivalent.

Egypt never allowed Iranian warships to cross the Suez until February last year following the overthrow of the Hosni Mubarak regime when, undeterred by the diplomatic pressure from the US and threatening noises from Israel, Cairo allowed an Iranian destroyer to pass through. Israel called it a "provocation".

But since then, Egypt has been in turmoil and the initial enthusiasm for normalization of ties with Tehran has somewhat waned even as Egypt became dependent on financial help from Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf.

Thus, the permission given to an entire Iranian fleet to cross the Suez last weekend signifies not only Egypt's thinking toward Iran but also the growing complexities and unpredictability of its relations with the US.

The Egypt-US ties are passing through testing times. A potentially serious row has erupted with a crackdown on several dozen foreign non-governmental organization (NGO) workers by the Egyptian authorities, including 19 American nationals. An undisclosed number of US citizens have taken shelter in the US Embassy in Cairo.

Cairo announced on Saturday that 43 of these suspects who include foreigners (Americans, Serbs, Germans, Norwegians, Jordanians and Palestinians) and Egyptians will be put on trial coming Sunday charged with "establishing unlicensed chapters of international organizations and accepting foreign funding to finance these groups in a manner that breached the Egyptian state's sovereignty".

Washington has warned Cairo that the crackdown could harm bilateral ties and hinted that it might cut off military aid amounting to US$1.3 billion annually. Washington apprehends that a public trial could expose the scale of the US interference in Egypt's internal affairs. Ten prominent American civil-society organizations operating in Egypt have been raided, including the National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute and Freedom House, which receive US government funding.

The ruling Supreme Council for the Armed Forces in Cairo blames "foreign hands" for the continued unrest in Egypt. The colorful Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Abul-Naga (who is one of the few officials from the Mubarak regime to retain her cabinet seat) is spearheading the campaign against the foreign funding for NGOs.The Muslim Brotherhood has threatened to review Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel if the US cuts off aid.

Strategic defiance

Suffice to say, Tehran chose the appropriate moment to fathom the Egyptian mind. Cairo's decision to allow the Iranian flotilla to cross the Suez underscores that it retains the strategic autonomy to reset relations with Iran. (Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has publicly expressed appreciation for Cairo's decision.) Which contains more than a hint to Washington.

Both Cairo and Tehran are underscoring that the Middle East has phenomenally changed and things can never be the same again. The stunning reality is that Egypt and Iran are not exactly seeing eye-to-eye on the Syrian crisis and yet Cairo waved the warships through as they headed for Tartus.

On its part, the most important message Iran could be giving is that neither the heightened standoff with the US nor the avalanche of Israeli threats has succeeded in brow-beating it or will detract from its will and capacity to help its Syrian ally.

However, the danger of an actual confrontation with the US over Syria is very, very unlikely and Tehran never quite estimated that the Barack Obama administration was being swept into a Libya-like intervention in Syria. Tehran, which is well clued in on the ground situation in Syria, remained confident that President Bashar al-Assad was not in any danger.

Yet, Iran's display of "might" in the eastern Mediterranean will cast its shadows on regional politics. Actually, Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Amal Movement in a joint statement on Saturday reiterated their alliance with Iran. They said events in Syria were part of the "desperate efforts made by the enemies" to destabilize the country and destroy its national unity and undermine Syria's firm support for the Palestinian resistance.

(Hezbollah chief Seyed Hassan Nasrallah said this month that Iran rendered "moral, political and financial support in all its available forms since 1982" to the movement. He said Hezbollah scored the "most prominent Arab victory" over Israel, this victory couldn't have been achieved without Iranian support and "Syria had a big role in the victory".)

At any rate, the display of "might" in the Mediterranean, which is historically a "Western lake", is bound to carry resonance within Iran itself. Such displays appeal to the Iranian people's sense of national honor and in turn helps consolidate public opinion, which is particularly important for the regime as the country approaches a crucial parliamentary election in March in which the calculus of power is expected to decisively shift and the alchemy of the Majlis to transform radically.

Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar was a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service. His assignments included the Soviet Union, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Turkey.

February 21, 2012: STRATEGY PAGE

Jordan has begun receiving the first of twelve HIMARS truck mounted rocket launchers it ordered from the United States three years ago. Jordan also bought 72 GMLRS rocket pods (with six GPS guided rockets each). So far, about 2,000 GMLRS rockets have been fired in combat, mainly by American troops. GMLRS is very popular with users, and the troops that call for the rocket fire. GMLRS rockets cost about $100,000 each.

The 309 kg (680 pound) GMLRS (guided multiple launch rocket system) missile is a GPS guided 227mm rocket that entered service eight years ago. It was designed to have a range of 70 kilometers and the ability to land within ten meters (31 feet) of its intended target, at any range. This is possible because it uses GPS (plus a backup inertial guidance system) to find the target location it was programmed with. Four years ago, the army tested GMLRS at max range (about 85 kilometers) and found that it worked fine. This enables one MLRS/HIMARS vehicle to provide support over a frontage of 170 kilometers, or, in places like Afghanistan, where the fighting can be anywhere, an area of over 20,000 square kilometers. This is a huge footprint for a single weapon (an individual MLRS/HIMARS vehicle), and fundamentally changes the way you deploy artillery in combat. By way of comparison, Excalibur (GPS guided 155mm shell) has a max range of 37 kilometers, and 120mm mortars about 7.5 kilometers.

Another edge GMLRS has is the HIMARS rocket launcher. Only costing about $3 million each, these smaller, truck mounted MLRS rocket launcher systems have become very popular. HIMARS carries only one, six MLRS rocket, container (instead of two in the original MLRS vehicle). But the 12 ton truck can fit into a C-130 transport (unlike the 22 ton tracked MLRS) and is much cheaper to operate. The first HIMARS entered service in 2005, about a year after GPS guided rockets did.

Most of the GMLRS rockets are fitted with an 89 kg (196 pound) high explosive ("unitary") warhead, and about half the weight is explosives. That's twice as much explosives as the air force 130 kg (285 pound) Small Diameter Bomb. A 155mm artillery shell has 6.6 kg of explosives, and the 500 pound (227 kg) bomb has 127 kg of explosives, which produced an excessive blast for many urban combat situations. The GMLRS seemed to be just right most of the time. Now there are GPS guided 120mm mortar shells, which have about 2.2 kg (five pounds) of explosives, and are popular for situations when you want pinpoint accuracy in areas with nearby civilians.

The guided rocket is much more effective than the older, unguided, version, and is replacing, so much so that no more of the unguided rockets are being purchased by the U.S. The accuracy of GMLRS means that one rocket does the job that previously required a dozen or more of the unguided ones. That's why HIMARS is so popular. While HIMARS only carries six rockets, that's often enough to last for days, even when there's a lot of combat.

Noting the success of GMLRS, Russia and China have developed and put into service their own GPS guided rockets.

February 21, 2012 Mehr - Worldwide-Defence

TEHRAN, Feb. 20 (MNA) – The air defense maneuvers, entitled Sarallah, began in southern Iran on Monday, the public relations department of the Khatam-ol-Anbiya Air Defense Base has announced. According to the statement, the maneuvers are meant to enhance the country’s integrated network of air defense with a focus on modern defensive tactics.

The other purpose of the war games is to increase the country’s preparedness in the face of military threats, particularly possible attacks on densely populated areas, sensitive and vulnerable centers, and nuclear facilities. The exercises are also aimed at increasing the mobility of rapid response forces to engage in asymmetric warfare and improving coordination between air defense units of various forces in order to provide the country with wide air defense coverage. During the four-day maneuvers, domestically manufactured advanced missile systems, air defense artillery systems, various radar systems, and Air Force surveillance aircraft will be used and tested. Air defense units of the Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and the lookouts of the National Police and the Basij volunteer forces will carry out the exercises under the command of the Khatam-ol-Anbiya Air Defense Base.

source The Telegraph

2012-02-21 xinhua

Une frappe aérienne israélienne sur les sites nucléaires iraniens serait une entreprise "énorme et très complexe", ont rapporté lundi les médias américains, citant des officiels de la défense et des analystes militaires proches du Pentagone.

Le New York Times a rapporté que pour lancer une frappe contre l'Iran, les pilotes israéliens devront "voler plus de 1000 miles ( plus de 1600 kilomètres) dans l'espace aérien hostile, se réapprovisionner dans les airs, combattre les défenses aériennes iraniennes, attaquer de multiples sites sous-terrains simultanément – et utiliser une centaine d'avions".

Le journal a indiqué que les experts, dont David Deptula, qui a pris sa retraite l'année dernière du poste de responsable des renseignements de la Force aérienne, et Andrew Hoehn, directeur du projet Rand Corp.'s des Forces aériennes, avaient déclaréé que la mission serait extrêmement difficile.

Les opinions des experts rappelaient ceux de l'ancien directeur de la CIA, Michael Hayden, qui a déclaré le mois dernier que les frappes aériennes capables d'endommager sérieusement le programme nucléaire iranien "dépassaient la capacité" d'Israël.

Un raid aérien israélien sur les sites nucléaires iraniens est devenu un sujet sensible à Washington.

Dans une interview accordée dimanche à la CNN, Martin Dempsey, président de l'état-major des armées américain, a déclaré que les officiels américains ont tenté de convaincre Israël de lancer une attaque contre l'Iran.

"C'est notre conseil à nos alliés, les Israéliens", a déclaré M. Dempsey. "Nous savons également, ou pensons connaitre, que le régime iranien n'a pas décidé s'il entreprendra des efforts pour armer ses capacité nucléaire".

Les officiels américains pensent que l'Iran est "un acteur rationnel" et que "le chemin actuel sur lequel nous sommes est le plus prudent pour l'instant", a déclaré M. Dempsey, indiquant que les sanctions économiques contre l'Iran "commencent à avoir un effet".

MOSCOW, February 20 (RIA Novosti)

Iran launched on Monday four-day air defense drills to train protection of important national facilities, primarily nuclear facilities, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.

The exercise in the south of Iran involves various missile systems, radars and aircraft.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) ground forces also launched military exercise, code-named Valfajr, on Sunday in the desert area of central Iran and in the central province of Yazd.

Fars quoted Commander of IRGC Major General Mohammad Ali Jaffari as saying that “The wargames came after the U.S. threats and aggressions, especially its invasion of neighboring and regional states.”

The Western powers suspect Iran is seeking to create a nuclear bomb and have tightened sanctions. Tehran says it only wants to produce its own energy.

Speculation has also been growing in recent weeks that Israel may be preparing to attack OPEC’s No. 2 oil exporter to counter what it views as a serious threat to its national security. The United States has also refused to rule out force.

A U209 model submarine passes through Istanbul’s Bosphorus strait as the historic Maiden Tower is seen in the background. Indonesia has decided to buy U209s from South Korea instead of a Turkish-German joint venture. AA photo

February/20/2012  by Ümit Enginsoy  - Hürriyet Daily News

ANKARA - Indonesia picks up a South Korean offer for three U209 model submarines instead of a Turkish-German joint offer. Still, the two countries may bid for a tender for the more developed U214 models, Jakarta says

Indonesia has informed a German-Turkish partnership that South Korea has won Jakarta’s competition for U209 submarines and that the duo should instead focus on the sale of more-developed U214 subs to the Southeast Asian giant, a senior Turkish official has said.

The message was conveyed during the visit of Adm. Agus Suhartono, the chief of staff of Indonesia’s military forces, to Turkey last week, the Turkish official said this weekend.

Turkey, led by the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, SSM, and Germany, led by ThyssenKrupp’s shipyard, HDW, entered the Indonesian Navy’s competition of more than $1 billion after it came to an end, effectively ensuring Seoul’s victory. 

South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering announced on Dec. 22 that it had won the Indonesian deal $1.1 billion for three submarines.

As for Turkey, a $2 billion submarine deal with HDW for the joint manufacture of six U214 platforms formally took effect in July, the German company said. Turkish procurement officials also confirmed the information. 
“As a longstanding partner and supplier to the Turkish Navy, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems can now begin executing the order. The order will contribute to securing employment at [ThyssenKrupp’s] HDW in Kiel, as well as at many subcontractors in Germany and Turkey, for the next 10 years,” it said.

A major loan deal between German banks and the Turkish Treasury rescued the multibillion-dollar submarine contract between the Turkish state and Howaldswerke Deutsche Werft (HDW) on the last day of 2010, Turkish procurement officials said earlier. 

“We will try to work hard to meet the requirements for the second competition [for the U214 deal],” said the Turkish procurement official.

The Indonesian side also offered a number of consolations to the Turkish side. The Indonesians will come up with a $100 million Turkish proposal to make military radios produced by Aselsan, the procurement official said.

The Indonesians separately plan to propose a facility to produce Roketsan-made missiles after they sign a contract with the company.

Jakarta will also produce FNSS-made 8x8 vehicles.

Turkey and Indonesia are two of the largest Muslim countries and are keen to develop their defense industries and ties.

February 20, 2012 Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr. /American Forces Press Service  - defpro.com

WASHINGTON | The security challenges in Syria are different geographically and militarily from those that led to NATO operations in Libya, and intervention would be difficult, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said Feb. 19.

"Syria is a very different challenge," Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said in a CNN interview with Fareed Zakaria. "It's a different challenge in terms of the capability of the Syrian military. They are very capable."

Dempsey pointed to Syria's "sophisticated, integrated" air defense system and chemical and biological capabilities as part of a "very different military problem."

"I think intervening in Syria would be very difficult," he said. "I think the current path of trying to gain some international consensus is the proper path, rather than take a decision to do anything unilaterally."

Diplomatic efforts are ongoing, Dempsey said, but added that he will be prepared to provide military options to the nation's leaders.

"I wear the uniform I wear to provide options when asked and will be prepared to do that," he said. "But it would be a big mistake to think of this as another Libya.

"That said, of course, we're looking at all that," Dempsey said. "We're trying to gather the best intelligence we can and take a look at what options we might have should we be asked to provide those to the national command authority in this country. But we haven't been asked to do that yet."

Dempsey noted it would be premature to decide to arm the opposition movement in Syria. "I would challenge anyone to clearly identify for me the opposition movement at this point," he said. "Syria is an arena right now for all of the various interests to play out.

"What I mean by that is you have great power involved," he continued. Turkey, Russia and Iran have strong interests in Syria, he added.

There are various groups who might think there is a Sunni-Shia competition for regional control, the chairman said.

"There are indications that al-Qaida is involved and that they’re interested in supporting the opposition," he said.

"There are a number of players, all of whom are trying to reinforce their particular side of this issue. And until we're a lot clearer about who they are and what they are, I think it would be premature to talk about arming them."

20 février 2012 par info-aviation

Des drones de reconnaissance américains surveillent les événements en Syrie en proie aux affrontements sanglants entre le régime et l’opposition, a annoncé le 19 février la chaîne télévisée NBC se référant à des sources au Pentagone.

« Un bon nombre de drones opèrent dans le ciel de la Syrie afin de surveiller les attaques de l’armée lancées contre les forces de l’opposition et la population civile », a confié un responsable du Pentagone au correspondant de la chaîne, Jim Miklaszewski.

On ignore le type de drone qui est déployé en Syrie par le Pentagone mais il pourrait s’agir de drones furtifs RQ-170 (dont un exemplaire a été récupéré par les Iraniens) ou même de MQ-9 Reaper (photo) qui assurent la surveillance des frontières aux États-Unis.

Les sources du Département de la Défense américain soulignent que le recours aux drones ne signifie pas les préparatifs à une opération militaire, l’administration américaine espérant, de cette façon, obtenir « des preuves visuelles » pour la communauté internationale pour lui permettre de réagir aux actions menées par Damas.

Selon la NBC, des représentants de la Maison blanche, du Département d’État et du Pentagone ont admis que l’administration de Barak Obama avait discuté d’une éventuelle opération humanitaire en Syrie. Toutefois, certains responsables estiment qu’une pareille opération risque d’impliquer militairement les États-Unis dans le conflit syrien.

February 20th, 2012 Defence talk (AFP)

The Israeli military will on Monday deploy a battery of rocket interceptors from its "Iron Dome" system in the Tel Aviv region, a military spokesman said on Sunday.

"Iron Dome is being incorporated into the heart of the Israeli military. As part of this process, the system is deployed in different sites and will be in the Gush Dan region (of Tel Aviv) in the coming days," he said in a statement that clarified the deployment would begin on Monday.

This deployment "is part of the annual training plan for this system", he added.

The decision to site an Iron Dome battery at Tel Aviv comes amid heightened regional tensions and speculation about a possible Israeli attack targeting Iran's controversial nuclear programme.

Israel has denied that a decision has been taken to launch a pre-emptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The first battery of the unique multi-million-dollar Iron Dome system was deployed last March 27 outside the southern desert city of Beersheva, after it was hit by Grad rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

On April 4, the system was also deployed around the southern port city of Ashkelon.

The first of its kind in the world and still at the experimental stage, it is not yet able to provide complete protection, but it has successfully brought down several rockets fired from Gaza.

Designed to intercept rockets and artillery shells fired from a range of between four and 70 kilometres (three and 45 miles), Iron Dome is part of an ambitious multi-layered defence programme to protect Israeli towns and cities.

Two other systems make up the programme -- the Arrow long-range ballistic missile defence system and the so-called David's Sling, or Magic Wand, system, intended to counter medium-range missiles.

February 20, 2012 worldwide-defence (FARS)

TEHRAN (FNA) - A senior Iranian lawmaker stressed on Sunday that the deployment of Iranian and Russian flotillas along the Syrian coasts is a serious warning against Washington's adventurist plots against Damascus.

"The presence of Iran and Russia's flotillas along the Syrian coasts has a clear message against the United States' possible adventurism," Vice-Chairman of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Hossein Ebrahimi told FNA. "In case of any US strategic mistake in Syria, there is a possibility that Iran, Russia and a number of other countries will give a crushing response to the US," he added. The US and other western countries have intensified their interfering policies while the Syrian government has declared February 26 as the date for a referendum on the country's new draft constitution that would lay the ground for a multi-party political system. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made the decision after he received the draft from a committee set up in October to draw up the new constitution. In January, Assad said that the new constitution will replace the current one which endorses his Baath party's dominant role. Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country. Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes. The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad. In October, calm was eventually restored in the Arab state after President Bashar al-Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but the US and Israeli plots could spark some new unrests in certain parts of the country. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast had also earlier deplored any foreign meddling in Syria, and praised the reforms President Assad has pledged to undertake as "problem-solving". "We are fundamentally against interfering in the affairs of other countries. We think it does not solve the problems but will only make them more complicated," Mehman-Parast said in January. "The good reforms which have been announced by the Syrian officials are pushing the ambience towards dialogue and solving the problems, though some countries do not like this," he said. Assad has announced the end to the state of emergency, granted citizenship to many Syrian Kurds and promised parliamentary elections later this year. In January, he issued the latest of thousands of amnesties for those detained since the unrests began.