Report: Israel targeted upgraded anti-aircraft systems in Syria in late October -- By David Barnett, The Long War Journal

On Oct. 31, US officials confirmed that Israel had struck a military base near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia. A military base near Damascus was also targeted, CBS News reported.

At the time, reports suggested that the target in Latakia was a Russian-made S-125 missile system. Newly released satellite imagery from Oct. 30 confirms this and more. According to Israel Defense, which obtained the images from Digital Globe, "[t]he launchers were in the process of undergoing upgrades."

[A]n analysis of the photos indicates that it is a battery that underwent upgrade to an M2 or K2-class S-125 system, which renders the battery mobile while additionally improving the locking systems and the ability to engage targets simultaneously. In its new version, the system is further equipped with optical systems for contending with electronic warfare disruptions, cruise missiles, a certain type of ballistic missiles and interceptions by US F-16 fighters.

The report also posited that "it is possible that the intent was to upgrade the S-125 batteries in the Latakia region to S-300 systems as well." In early October, IHS Jane's Defence Weekly reported that Syria was "exploiting the mobility of its S-125 Pechora-2M surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, which were recently upgraded in Russia."

 In late May 2013, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon warned that Israel "will know what to do" if Russia supplied Syria with S-300 systems.

Since the start of the uprising against Bashar al Assad in Syria, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has carried out at least four other strikes in Syria. In those strikes, Israeli aircraft never entered Syrian air space. In three of the strikes, according to reports, Israeli aircraft used a lofting maneuver while over Lebanon. In another of the strikes, the lofting maneuver was used while over the eastern Mediterranean.

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