A short video clip shot by Reuters' correspondents in southern Lebanon shows the newest model of Kornet antitank rockets, which Russia recently supplied to Syria. Israel has claimed since the first days of the conflict with Hezbollah that its opponent was well trained and well armed. Israel suffered most of its losses in tank units. The Israeli military claimed that Hezbollah was using Russian-made arms, particularly 105-mm. RPG-29 Vampire multiuse antitank grenade launchers and Kornet rockets. Both of those weapons were recently provided by Russia to Syria. Israel protested loudly when the arms deal between Moscow and Damascus was concluded, but Moscow gave assurances that the grenade launchers and antitank rockets would not leave the territory of Syria.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert telephones Russian President Vladimir Putin in the middle of August and stated that the Shiite group was using advanced weapons of Russian manufacture against Israel. In response, Putin demanded proof that Syria had given Hezbollah weapons. An Israeli delegation headed by Deputy General Director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Mark Sofer arrived in Moscow on August 18. An Israeli source told Kommersant that the proof the delegation brought with it was overwhelming. The Israelis had seized crates of Russian weapons with markings that allowed their path through Syria to be tracked.
The Israelis agreed not to create an international scandal in return for Moscow's promise to warn Damascus that, if such practices continued, Russian arms shipments would be halted. Publicly, Russian authorities stated that Israel had not presented any evidence that Hezbollah used Russian arms against it. Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov called Israeli charges “complete nonsense” at the end of last month.
At the beginning of this month, the French television channel M6 broadcast footage shot by Reuters' correspondents beginning on August 12 while they accompanied the Israeli 82nd Tank Battalion and 7th Tank Brigade. The Russian Kornet rocket parts and boxes are visible for several seconds in that footage, which was mainly devoted to the daily live of the Israeli soldiers. The rockets caught the attention of viewers with a knowledge of weapons and was consequently posted on the Internet. However, since it attracted littler attention, the Russia government has made no accusations in connection with its presence there.
http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?idr=527&id=708257
