Pentagon calls delivery of S-300s to Syria knee-jerk response' to Il-20 downing
US CENTCOM Chief Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander in charge of US forces in the Middle East, has confirmed that Russia has completed the delivery of its S-300 systems to Syria, Sputnik agency reported.
"We do believe that that system is – has been moved into Syria," Votel said, speaking to reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday. "I won't comment on any particular locations or anything like that," he added. Characterizing the S-300 deployment as "a needless escalation," the general suggested that the Russian decision may have been "perhaps a little bit of a knee-jerk response to the downing of their aircraft – the Russian aircraft – here a couple weeks ago."
The source reminds that Russia deployed 49 components associated with the S-300 system, including radars, control vehicles and four launchers, on Tuesday, in response to the destruction of a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane with 15 airmen onboard on September 17.