The radar transfer was first reported in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday and prompted the State Department to voice concerns about cooperation between Syria and Iran.

The sophisticated radar were deployed in Syria last year, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

The move could bolster Iran's position amid long-running speculation that Israel might stage a bombing raid against Tehran's nuclear enrichment facilities.

Information from new radar also could potentially help the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah with its missile arsenal and air defenses.

Israel and the United States have refused to rule out military action against Iran over its nuclear program, which Washington says is designed to secure atomic weapons.

Iran has insisted its enrichment effort is purely peaceful and aimed at generating electricity.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley on Thursday said Washington had concerns about the relationship between Iran and Syria.

"We don't believe that Iran's designs for the region are in Syria's best interest," Crowley told reporters.

While acknowledging that all countries "have the right to protect themselves," the spokesman said the reported radar delivery would be of concern due to Syria's relationship with Hezbollah.

President Barack Obama warned Iran Thursday it faced mounting isolation, signing tough new US sanctions he said would strike at Tehran's capacity to finance its nuclear program.

The measures, on top of new UN Security Council and European sanctions, aim to choke off Iran's access to imports of refined petroleum products like gasoline and jet fuel and curb its access to the international banking system.

earlier related report
UN warns of renewed violence between Hezbollah and Israel
Beirut (AFP) July 2, 2010 - The United Nations has warned of renewed violence between Lebanese group Hezbollah and its archfoe Israel following accusations the Shiite militant party had received sophisticated missiles.

"Amidst allegations of continued arms transfers to Hezbollah... a perceptible increase in tension between the parties was recorded," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP in Beirut on Friday.

"This raised the spectre of a miscalculation by either party leading to a resumption of hostilities, with potentially devastating consequences for Lebanon and the region," read the 13th report on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

The resolution brought to an end a deadly war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006, which destroyed much of Lebanon's major infrastructure and killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mainly soldiers.

The resolution also beefed up the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a peacekeeping force tasked with overseeing the ceasefire and monitoring the UN-drawn Blue Line separating Lebanon and Israel.

Ban's report reiterated that Hezbollah's existing weapons were a clear violation of Security Council resolutions, but added it had no evidence of "unauthorised transfer" of weapons in UNIFIL's area of operations in southern Lebanon.

The allegations were sparked by Israeli President Shimon Peres in April when he accused Hezbollah's backer Syria of supplying the movement with long-range Scud missiles, a charge Damascus has staunchly denied.

Washington further fed the controversy, with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad about the risks of triggering a regional war if he supplied the Shiite group with the missiles.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has refused to confirm or deny the Scud allegations, saying his militant party had a "legal" right to own any weapons it wished.

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