Syrian Bid for N. Korea Arms Aid Reported
Syria is believed to be seeking North Korea’s help in acquiring new surface-to-surface missiles after the United States pressured China to cancel a reported deal, Israeli military sources said Friday.
The sources also said North Korea and Egypt have begun a project to develop missiles patterned after the Soviet-designed Scud.
The revelation by the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, comes at a time of mounting concern in Israel about an intensified missile race in the Middle East. Fears intensified following Iraq’s Dec. 7 launching of the Abed missile that Baghdad claimed is capable of putting satellites into space.
North Korea has a well-developed arms industry, and the Israeli sources said it had supplied Iran with Scud surface-to-surface missiles during Tehran’s war with Iraq.
Aharon Levran, a retired brigadier general and an independent military analyst, said Egypt had an arsenal of aging Scud missiles provided by the Soviet Union and had apparently turned to North Korea last year for help in modernizing them.
He also said published reports indicated that North Korea is helping Iran develop its own surface-to-surface missile.
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