US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV5796

S E C R E T TEL AVIV 005796 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PARM, SY, IS, GOI EXTERNAL, MILITARY RELATIONS 
SUBJECT: EILAND REQUESTS USG PRESSURE TO STOP RUSSIA-SYRIA 
MISSILE DEAL 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
1.  (S) National Security Advisor Giora Eiland contacted the 
Ambassador September 23 to seek USG pressure on the Russian 
government to stop what he said is a possibly imminent 
agreement to sell Pantsir ground-to-air missiles to Syria. 
Eiland said the deal could be signed as early as next week 
during the Syrian chief of staff's visit to Moscow.  He 
described the Pantsir deal as being worth tens of millions of 
dollars and said it could be the first in a series of deals 
including air-to-air and ground-to-ground missile systems. 
The Ambassador agreed to convey Eiland's concern. 
 
2.  (S) Eiland described the Panstir as being medium-range or 
30-kilometer range.  Information available to post describes 
the system as a combination gun-missile system featuring two 
twin-barrelled 30-millimeter cannons, 1,400 rounds of 
ammunition, and 12 ready-to-fire missiles on a wheeled 
chassis.  It appeared in the late '90s and is designed for 
point defense against a wide variety of modern air targets, 
from UAVs to cruise missiles. 
 
3.  (S) Eiland said that he would be in Moscow Sunday for 
periodic talks with Igor Ivanov and stressed that no one 
should misinterpret the coincidence of his presence there at 
the same time as the Syrians to speculate on talks between 
the two. 
 
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JONES