Assad says Syria to receive Russian missiles Bashar al-Assad, Syrian president, said on Thursday that Russia was fulfilling its weapons contracts to his government, but did not specify whether a controversial missile system had been delivered. Lebanon's Al-Manar TV station had said earlier in the day that Mr Assad had confirmed an initial delivery of the S-300 air defence missiles in his interview with them, raising fears of a serious escalation of the crisis. Israel said earlier this week that it would see the shipment as a threat and implied that it would strike its neighbour if it were to take place. US officials told the Associated Press on Thursday, however, that there was no evidence such systems were delivered. Analysts also expressed doubts that the missiles would be delivered soon, if at all. During the Al-Manar interview, which was broadcast on Thursday evening, Mr Assad responded to a question about the arms deal with Russia by saying that all agreements with his ally "will be implemented," adding that that some of what had been agreed "has been implemented recently." Moscow's ambassador to Nato sparked outrage in Israel and elsewhere this week when he said that Russia's contract with Syria would be fulfilled. His comments followed the EU decision not to renew an embargo on supplying arms to the rebels. Moscow signed a contract to deliver the missiles in 2010, but then decided in 2012 to quietly shelve it, Russian media reports said. Russian officials said the contract was still in force and that they intended to deliver the missiles but analysts there have privately voiced doubts the deliveries would take place. Israeli officials say that the system, which has missiles with a range of 200-300km, represents a grave strategic threat because it could strike well inside their country, threatening aircraft using Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. Israel has already launched three air strikes on suspected weapons shipments inside Syria this year. Reports that some of the missiles had been delivered were at odds with remarks made this week by Moshe Ya'alon, Israel's defence minister, who said on Tuesday that Russia had not yet delivered the system. "Clearly this move is a threat to us, even though at this point I cannot say that there is a step-up in the shipment of the S-300," Mr Ya'alon said. The deliveries have not taken place, I attest to this, and I hope they do not. But if, by some misfortune, they arrive in Syria, we will know what to do. Any Syrian operating the system would need to be trained in Russia, Israeli analysts said. "Putting such a system into service is a really long process," said Yiftah Shapir, director of the project on military balance at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. You can't rule out that the Russians themselves will operate it, but it's really far-fetched. Mr Shapir pointed out that Turkey had six Patriot anti-missile batteries operated by non-Turks, and Syria could in theory do the same with the S-300 system. Were the system to be operated by Russians, he said: "In that case, Israel would not attack it." Hopes for a diplomatic solution in Syria dimmed further on Thursday when the opposition coalition announced it would not attend US and Russian-backed talks in June because of Iran and its ally Hizbollah's increased involvement in the conflict. Hizbollah played a key role in a recent regime offensive to retake the town of Qusair near the Lebanese border, the rebels" last stronghold in central Syria. "The National Coalition will not participate in an international conference and will not support any efforts in light of Iran's malicious invasion of Syria," spokesman Khalid Saleh told reporters. The coalition itself is in a state of intense internal turmoil, and the statement contradicts an official communiqué sent out on Wednesday evening saying that it welcomed international efforts to find a solution to Syria, whilst reiterating its demand that Mr Assad be excluded from the political process.