Syria's Advanced Anti-Air Defenses Cause New Problem for West

With the Syrian assault on a Turkish warplane last weekend pushing the international community to meet once again, and to decide on a reasonable plan for removing Assad (hint: peaceful transition isn't going to work, Mr. Annan), it is being reported overseas that the anti-aircraft weapon used to down the warplane was built in Iran.

In the aftermath of Israel's 2007 attack on Syria's suspected nuclear reactor (thanks Israel, by the way...), the Syrian government has bulked up the nation's anti-air defenses, and this weapon, which is designed to target aircraft attempting to fly under the radar - caught the Turkish pilots off-guard as they were unaware Syria had acquired such technology.

It also brings an inconvenient truth to the forefront: Syria's anti-air defenses are among the more superior systems in the world, even more so then Iran's, due to the small size of the country and the density of the weapons they have positioned, thus guaranteeing a difficult conflict if and when western forces do attack.

The curious internal crisis of Syria is rapidly devolving each and every day into a bloodier mess, as scores upon scores are killed regularly in the fighting, and Assad's stranglehold over Damascus refuses to release its horrifying grip. Only the combined forces of Arab and Western militaries can oust this mad man...