From Russia, With Arms

Well, that was predictable. The Jerusalem Post is reporting that outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has failed to convince the Kremlin to hold off on sales of advanced air- and missile defense systems to Syria and Iran. Olmert's very public visit to Moscow was billed ahead of time as a bid to curtail the expanding strategic cooperation among Moscow, Damascus and Tehran. But the Israeli premier's overtures apparently met with a chilly reception; Russian officials stopped short of commiting to refrain from transferring the systems to their client states - a move that Israeli commentators say could be "balance breaking."