SA-17.

This is coolbert:

Thanks to YNet we have this item.

The Israeli watching very closely the situation in Syria as you can well imagine. That Israeli Air Force acting if and when events transpire in a manner not favorable to the state of Israel.

In this case, advanced and very sophisticated surface-air missiles [SA-17] the transfer from the hands of the Syrian to Hezbollah intercepted en route and destroyed?

Hezbollah no longer merely satisfied with pea shooter MANPAD [man portable air defense] shoulder fired SAM but desirous to have the latest and greatest and most dangerous.

"Officials to AP: Israel hit SA-17 missiles shipment"

"News agency quotes US and regional security officials as saying Israel conducted air strike inside Syria hitting convoy of trucks; officials estimate target was SA-17 missiles which would be 'game-changing' in hands of Hezbollah"

These missiles in the hands of Hezbollah described as "a game changer"!!

"Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles, which would be strategically 'game-changing' in the hands of Hezbollah."

Even more surprising as gleaned from the wiki that the SA-17 as used in combat has been a proven winner, the Russian designers and weapons manufacturers apparently not even having a counter-measure for their own weapon!!

"Analysts stipulated that Georgian Buk missile systems were responsible for downing four Russian aircraft—three Sukhoi Su-25s close air support aircraft and a Tupolev Tu-22M strategic bomber—in the 2008 South Ossetia . . . Russian electronic counter-measures systems were apparently unable to jam and suppress enemy SAMs  [SA-17]in the conflict and that Russia was, surprisingly, unable to come up with effective countermeasures against missile systems it had designed."

Assad too is making those preparations for his flight? Some mountain stronghold is being prepared or has been prepared for his entourage and those Alawite still loayal  to the man? These SA-17 are for his protection and not the use necessarily of Hezbollah? Hezbollah is Shia and Assad is an Alawite, an off-shoot [not much known about the Alawites] of the Alawites so protection among the state within the state [Hezbollah] is possible. That connection between the Iranian, Syrian [Alawite] and Hezbollah is very strong? This movement of sophisticated SAM was part of an effort to make that connection even stronger?

coolbert.