Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is expected to visit Syria next week together with his wife in a two-day working visit.

The visit comes amid reports that Medvedev has indicated he plans to honor a deal with Damascus for the sale of an advanced anti-aircraft defense system.

The president is planning to meet with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and other state officials, and talks are expected to include events in the Mideast.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has personally flown to Moscow in the hope of preventing the weapons deal, but Medvedev would only agree to a delay, unwilling to cancel the deal. The Russian leader explained that the weapons system is a defensive one, not an offensive one, justifying the sale.

Israel fear the weapons system will make its way to Hizbullah and its deployment in the region present yet additional new challenges to the Israel Air Force while signaling a shift in the regional balance of power.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)