The
US and Israeli Tuesday, Sept. 3, carried out a joint anti-missile
missile test in the Mediterranean to prepare for a possible
Syrian-Hizballah attack on Israel and Jordan in retaliation for the
planned US military strike on Syria. US and Israel officials reported
that the Israeli Ankor (Sparrow) was used as the target missile for
testing the interceptors.
According to DEBKAfile’s
military sources, the test demonstrated that since delaying his planned
strike on Syria last Saturday, President Barack Obama has revised his
plans and instead of “a narrow, limited” attack is contemplating a
broader offensive for degrading the Assad regime. The arrival of the USS Nimitzaircraft carrier in the Red Sea is further evidence of this intention.
The
missile trial also indicates an updated US-Israeli consensus that Iran,
Syrian and Hizballah mean business by the mounting level of the threats
to fire missiles at Israel, Jordan and Turkey if the Americans go
through with their strike against Syria. Such retaliation cold lead to
the Syrian conflict expanding substantially into a regional war,
which Moscow, Tehran and Damascus have in the last 48 hours admitted was
virtually unavoidable.
Russia on
Tuesday announced that its missile early warning station at Armavir on
the Black Sea had detected the launch of two missiles from the central
part of the Mediterranean Sea fired towards the Sea's eastern coastline.
Armavir was set up to track missile launches from Europe and Iran.
According to DEBKAfile’s
military sources, US warships cruising opposite the Syrian coast and
carrying Aegis anti-missile missiles, alongside Tomahawk cruise missiles
ready for the strike on Syria, did take part in the test.
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