Russia begins missile system delivery to Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday Moscow had started delivering the S-300 surface-to- air missile system to Syria and warned Western powers of trying to undermine U.N.-led efforts to end the seven-year conflict.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had said on Monday the system would be delivered to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in two weeks despite strong Israeli and United States objections. A week previously, Moscow had accused Israel of indirectly causing the downing of a Russian military jet in Syria.

“The delivery started al- ready and as President (Vladimir)Putin said, after that incident ... the measures that we will take will be devoted to ensuring 100% safety and security of our men,” said Lavrov.

Russia, along with Iran, has helped Assad recover huge amounts of lost territory in Syria without persuading him to agree to any political reforms. A powerful typhoon brought heavy rain and high winds as it approached southern Japan on Saturday, causing power outages in several cities and prompting Kansai International Airport near Osaka to plan a temporary closure of its runways from Sunday.

Typhoon Trami, rated category 2 by Tropical Storm Risk, with category 5 the highest, is the latest storm to threaten Japan, including punishing heat, heavy rains and landslides. Outlying islands in the Okinawan chain, some 1,000 km southwest of Tokyo, were being pounded by heavy rain and high tides a day before an Okinawan gubernatorial election on Sunday. Strong wind knocked down trees, blew off an outer wall from a building and left nine people injured in Okinawa. Trami also caused power outages in more than 30 towns, according to public broadcaster NHK. Kansai International Airport in Osaka, announced that it would close its runways from 11 a.m. until 6 a.m. on Monday.