Defense officials say they are concerned about Iran's efforts to smuggle UAVs and air defense systems into Syria and their attempts to exploit proximity to Russia's bases in the country for protection.

Defense sources say that there are several worrying developments in Syria, that are not to Russia's liking and contrary to the position of Syrian President Bashar Assad, which indicates the Iranians' efforts to establish themselves in the country. In light of this, there has been a significant increase in recent weeks in the number of attacks attributed to Israel on Iranian targets throughout Syria.

In Jerusalem, sources are silence and have not commented on these reports, except for references to the validity of a mechanism to prevent friction between the IDF and the Russian army throughout Syria, during Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's visit to Moscow.

Along with the silence in Israel, security officials say one of the most worrying and prominent issues is the Iranian effort to transfer air defense systems made by Iranian defense industries to Syria, to protect bases commanded by pro-Iranian Shiite militias and other weapons systems.

According to sources in the Middle East, the Iranians intend to place air defense systems to confront Israeli air force planes in Syria, using pro-Iranian militias to prevent Israeli attacks against the Iranian establishment, which mainly includes smuggling weapons.

The second axis includes the smuggling of unmanned aircraft made in Iran to Syria and from there to Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Evidence of this was given today after a Hamas drone was intercepted by an Iron Dome battery. Some in the defense establishment estimate that the incident was timed and coordinated and not as a coincidence to signal capabilities in Gaza to the IDF.

A senior IDF source said that "Iranian drones are a global problem. It worries many countries, and in particular the countries of the region." 

The senior military official added: "The Iranians fell in love with the UAV method because they thought it would allow them to operate in a different way. The events of the past year, and especially the events of "Mercer Street" (attacking a foreign ship operated by an Israeli-owned company during which two foreign nationals were killed and others were wounded by a UAV attack), embarrassed them greatly in the world. 

"The countries of the world understand today that a terrorist attack carried out by a UAV is an attack carried out by Iran and directed by it. Apart from the State of Israel, we see that other countries in the world are beginning to be bothered by the UAV threat."

Picture: Chief of Staff Kochavi visiting a base of the Israeli Air Force