Iranian early warning radar in Syria: is this a real threat, or just more posturing from Iran?
Posted by John Keller
I'm wondering about reports of an Iranian surveillance radar system being installed in Syria
, ostensibly to give Iran early warning if Israel attempts to bomb Iran's nuclear weapons research sites. If true, this development represents an even more severe escalation of tensions in this already-tense region that we've seen in recent months.
The Iranian early warning radar alleged to have been installed in Syria -- located on the Mediterranean coast just to the North of Israel and Lebanon -- is supposed to be a sophisticated system able not only to give Iran early warning of any Israeli air attack, but also able to help with Syrian anti-air missile defenses.
It's not clear, however, just how sophisticated the radar system might be, or if Israel could circumvent it simply by flying south over Saudi Arabia and over the Persian Gulf on the way to Iranian targets.
If this sincerely is a sophisticated long-range radar system, then it could add a new dimension to the complicated military and diplomatic situation in the Middle East. If it isn't however, it might just be another example of Iranian blustering and propaganda.
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John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
