Syria has disclosed week it has asked Russia to expedite the delivery of its S-300 anti-aircraft missiles in preparation for a potential U.S. attack. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said his country simply doesn't trust U.S. President Barack Obama to keep his word to stay out of Syria, more especially now that the Republicans took the majority of votes in the recently concluded U.S. mid-term elections.

In an interview with Lebanon's Al-Akhbar newspaper, Moallem admitted President Bashar al-Assad feared the rise of Republicans in the U.S. Congress, and with it, the build-up of pressure on Mr Obama. The Assad regime believed the Republicans will call for strikes against the military installations in Syria.

Moallem said he believed Mr Obama will exert to refrain engaging the U.S. to a war with Syria "for domestic reasons." He lauded Washington's move to warn Damascus in advance before it conducted the strikes. The advisories were reportedly received through its U.N. ambassador, as well as via Baghdad and Moscow. In both, the White House pledged it would not bomb the Syrian army.

But they aren't fully taking the American president's words for it, noting how Mr Obama reacts under mounting pressure will be their catalyst for action. "So we have to prepare ourselves." Moallem's interview with Al-Akhbar happened before the Republicans were even declared majority winners.

The S-300 is a series of long-range surface-to-air missile systems initially developed to defend aircraft and cruise missiles. It was first deployed by the USSR in 1979. Subsequent variations were later made to enable the mobile units to intercept ballistic missiles.

According to a study released by the International Assessment and Strategy Center, the S-300 is as one of the most potent anti-aircraft missile systems existing today. "The S-300 SAM systems remain one of the most lethal, if not the most lethal, all altitude area defence SAM systems in service," the study said. Its radars can simultaneously track up to 100 targets while engaging up to 12/24/36 targets at a single time. Its deployment time is five minutes.

Immediately after Moallem's interview was published, the Interfax news agency, citing an unidentified source, said Russia has not given explicit instructions to "prepare and deliver the equipment to Syria."

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