Can Israel destroy the new Syrian air defence system S-300?

The following is our translation from the Russian site topcor.ru. The second sentence of the first paragraph will confuse many Western consumers of US msm. It says:
 
“Of course, little thought [in Israel] is given to the fact that the bombing of a neighbouring state in itself cannot but lead to serious consequences.”
 
This article, written for a Russian audience familiar with Middle East current affairs, will confuse some readers because the Western media almost completely ignore the fact that Israel has been firing missiles into Syria at important weapons manufacturing or storing facilities for a very long time, endangering civilians (eg, at an international airport), Russian personnel, etc., and disrupting the war against terrorists there. The Israelis admitted it, as reported by the Times of Israel (we could not find any mention of this in the Anglo press).
 
Though most Westerners are loathe to admit it, US ally Israel has long been on the side of the terrorists in Syria, if only indirectly.
 
For one thing, as reported by Middle East Monitor, Israeli and US made weapons have been found in areas surrendered by ISIS (Daesh).
 
Further according to the Times of Israel, Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon let slip a revealing truth about the Isreali leadership when he said
 
“In Syria, if the choice is between Iran and the Islamic State, I choose the Islamic State. They don’t have the capabilities that Iran has.” (This too was hushed by the English-language press).
 
At variance with Ya’alon’s statement, ISIS does in fact have the capability of taking over large swaths of the Middle East with US assistance (or at least tacit permission) and without Russian intervention, just as it took over Syria before the Russian entry in 2015. Although Ya’alon is not necessarily admitting that he supports ISIS, he is in fact saying that he doesn’t care whether Syrians have to live under the yoke of an inhuman government that beheads people for being Shiite, Yazidi, Christian, Kurdish, or anything other than a ruthless, intolerant Wahhabist (Salafist) government. He would never admit, and he doesn’t care, that Iran, since the beginning of the war, has been contributing vital boots on the ground to fight ISIS. Israel knows very well that Iran cannot attack Israel proper unprovoked, despite Iran’s occasional attacks on terrorists in Golan. Why? Because the Iranian leadership knows that if Iran were to attack Israel, its current government would be overthrown and the country would be attacked and destroyed by the US and NATO. It’s obviously not going to happen. Israel’s fear of Iran and Syria stems from the fact that both countries refuse to acknowledge the existence of the Jewish state, and are capable of infecting the rest of the Muslim world with this viewpoint. And not because they are anti-Jewish. But because they remember the brutal and illegal tactics (as detailed in part by a Washington Post article) by which the first Zionists in the region displaced 700,000 Arabs. The issue has been falsely framed as “Israel’s right to exist.” In fact, for millions of Arabs, the real issue is “Israel’s right to displace us from our homes.” Everything changes when you frame the issue that way.
 
The Israeli military maintains regular forces in the Golan Heights, and when the Syrians get too close, its spokespeople warn that the “Israeli border” is being threatened. But the Golan is all Syrian territory. Under international law, Israel has no right to be there. Yet, sheltered by the US, they continue to say the Golan border is theirs. And the US press supports this lie with their silence.
 
BEGIN TRANSLATION
 
Why Israel cannot destroy the S-300
 
September 25, 2018
 
The delivery of the S-300 system to Syria by Russia has seriously panicked Israel’s ruling circles. Israeli media is issuing increasingly panicky notes: "this will lead to serious consequences," "Israel is in for a nightmare." Of course, little thought is given to the fact that the bombing of a neighbouring state in itself cannot but lead to serious consequences. There are those who propose solving the problem with the old methods: continue bombing, including striking the Russian anti-aircraft missile systems.
 
For their part, the Syrians warmly greeted Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu’s announcement that the S-300s would be supplied. For example, Riyad Haddad, the Syrian Ambassador in Moscow, stressed that these installations are necessary for his country to defend against Israeli aggression.
 
Following up on Shoigu, President Vladimir Putin confirmed the intention to transfer the S-300 air defence system to Syria. In a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said that in the current situation, such deliveries are an appropriate measure that will prevent potential threats to Russian military personnel.
 
Of course, the Israeli leadership is trying to reassure Russia that there are no threats to its military, located in Syria, that targeted attacks on Russian targets have been ruled out. However, practice has shown otherwise. The downing of a Russian plane with military personnel on board speaks for itself - the threats are quite real. As for the targeted attacks, we cannot rule out attempts to destroy the Russian S-300s in Syria. Moreover, even long before the incident with the plane, the Israelis (including Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman) had already threatened to do this if Moscow dared to send the installations to Syria.
 
Some Israeli bloggers are already actively proposing ways to eliminate the C-300. They recall that there have already been already similar cases, only at a different time and with a different technique. For example, in 1969, the Israelis succeeded in capturing the P-12 radar station transferred to Egypt by the Soviet Union. And during the 1982 Lebanon war, anti-aircraft missile systems were destroyed with the help of massive air strikes and missile attacks. Another option is to use electronic jamming. This was used in 2007 during the Israeli raid on Syria: the air defence systems were “blinded.” A ground operation to destroy the S-300 with the killing of service personnel or the dispatching of a sabotage group in order to undermine the technology “interfering” with Israel is also not excluded.
 
The Russian newspaper “Vzglyad” cited the statements of several experts debating whether it is possible for the Israelis to destroy the Russian air defence system. An independent military expert Anton Lavrov believes that the option of a ground operation or sabotage is unlikely. Electronic warfare methods are also unrealistic — they are ineffective against the S-300. Most likely, Israel will strike from the air, for example, using F-35 fighter jets. He recalled that the Israelis have considerable experience in combatting Syrian air defence weapons. The expert added that as a result, a “major air battle” could flare up, but the air defence system could not hold up against hundreds of aircraft. It is also possible that Israel will enlist the United States on its side; moreover, Washington can independently strike at Syria with the help of cruise missiles.
 
Former Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force Aytech Bizhev believes that Israel will not be able to destroy the S-300.
 
He states as follows as cited in Vzglyad:
 
“The complex is not a stand-alone. It is a fully integrated system. Its near border is guarded by the Pantsir air defence missile system, and there are many other means, radar combat weapons ... The complex is protected by other SAMs. In fact, it protects itself. But we also have Su-30 and Su-27 planes. They will chew up these Israeli F-16s in 30 seconds.”
 
 
More sober-minded Israelis believe that their leadership will not dare to bomb the S-300 due to political considerations, since this could lead to a direct clash with Russia.
 
In fact, until recently, Israel did not want to believe that Moscow would take the step of delivering modern anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria. They said that would be crossing a certain "red line" in Russian-Israeli relations. The fact that Tel Aviv itself crossed the “red line” is stubbornly denied, the incident with the Russian plane being blamed solely on the Syrians.
 
However, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation provided additional data on the culpability of the Israeli side in the crash of the Il-20. The evidence, according to a statement by the official representative of the department, Igor Konashenkov, was obtained from the indicators of the command and control center of the S-400 system, which is based in Khmeymim.
 
Konashenkov pointed out that the screen shows that the Syrian C-200 rocket was originally headed specifically toward an Israeli aircraft. It was at an altitude of 9-10 kilometres, like the Il-20. While approaching an Israeli fighter, the rocket sharply changed course, because the Russian aircraft has a large reflecting surface. In addition, it reduced its speed.
 
“Today’s data no longer just suggests, but in fact proves that the blame for the tragedy with the Russian Il-20 aircraft rests entirely with the Israeli air force and with those who made the decision on this kind of activity”
 
concluded Konashenkov.
 
Of course, Israel will continue to deny its guilt, and to declare its right to bomb Syrian territory with impunity. But statements are only statements, and the modern anti-aircraft missile systems, which Russia will give to Syria, are an effective way to cool the hot heads of the aggressors.
 
END TRANSLATION

Finally, those who are concerned about the possibility of the newly installed air defence system in Syria being destroyed (as we all should be), may find some comfort in the statement of Russian defence minister Sergey Shoigu following  installation of the system:

"Russian EW (electronic warfare) systems will suppress any communication radar and satellite navigation of combat aviation involved in attacks on Syria from the Eastern Mediterranean."