Grauniad: • The first shipment of Russian anti-aircraft missiles has arrived in Syria, Bashar al-Assad has said, according to Lebanese TV. The Al-Manar TV channel owned by the Shia militant group Hezbollah, which has joined the Syrian civil war on Assad’s side, said it would air a full interview with the Syrian president later today.
Israel has indicated it is likely to attack the weapons if they fall into the hands of Hezbollah or other hostile groups. "I don't know how upset the Russians would be if, at some point between payment and the installation of this technology in Damascus by Russian experts, something was done to damage the weaponry. As long as no Russians were hurt and they got paid, I don't think they would care," an Israeli diplomat told the Guardian yesterday.
The Russian move to fulfil its longstanding deal with Syria is widely seen as being retaliation for the EU’s move to drop its arms embargo on the Syrian rebels.