https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/w...ield-70g5g8j78
Iran builds new missile factory in Syria under Russian defence shield
Iran is building a new missile factory in Syria under the cover of a Russian defence umbrella and sending ballistic missiles to its allies in Iraq, according to new reports which raise fears of an expanding confrontation with Israel.
Satellite images show what appear to be a new base and factory taking shape in northwest Syria near the town of Baniyas. The base is in an area covered by a Russian S-400 aerial defence system set up to protect Moscow’s military operations in the Syrian civil war, which would make it a tricky target for an Israeli airstrike. Separately, it was reported that Iran had sent ballistic missiles with a range long enough to hit Tel Aviv or Riyadh to militias operating in Iraq.
Israel has promised to attack missile transfers by Iran, and has done so regularly in recent months in Syria, but has not so far struck Iran-allied militias in Iraq. With Iraq torn between its western and Iranian alliances, an Israeli strike would cause further instability......
The new missile factory in Wadi Jahannam near Baniyas was spotted by Imagesat International (ISI), an Israeli-based firm. It said the base’s layout was reminiscent of Parchin, Iran’s major and highly secretive missile development centre. The base would be covered by the Russian S-400 defence system, which is regarded as a threat to US aircraft, let alone Israeli ones. Moscow has refused to supply the system to the regime but operates it there to protect its own forces.
In Iraq the Iranian missile build-up, first reported by the Reuters news agency citing Iranian and western sources, is not nearly so far advanced. It quoted officials saying that “only a few dozen” short-range missiles were involved. The Iranian sources appeared to play down notions that they were specifically aimed at Israel. “The logic was to have a backup plan if Iran was attacked,” one senior Iranian official said.
However, the Zelzal, Fateh-110 and Zolfaqar missiles have a range of up to 700km (430 miles) putting them within range of Tel Aviv as well as Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, Iran’s great regional rival.
The sources also said there were three sites where new missiles were being built. The three included a repurposed Saddam Hussein-era factory at al-Zafaraniya, east of Baghdad, one at Jurf al-Sakhar, north of Karbala, and a third, alarmingly, in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, supposedly a western ally but one whose second party, the PUK, has close ties to Iran.
It would be highly embarrassing for Britain and America, which has poured huge resources into Iraq, firstly after the invasion of 2003 and then in the fight against Islamic State, if it were to be used as a launching pad for attacks against Israel or other allies such as Saudi Arabia........