On Wednesday, Russian and Israeli pilots started joint exercises aimed at guaranteeing flight safety in Syria, with a hotline being established between the Hmeimim airbase in Syria, where the Russian air force is located, and an Israeli air force command post, the ministry said.
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The supplies were intended for Sunni Arab brigades in northeastern Syria that have been fighting Islamic State in an area north of the IS stronghold in Raqqa.
Syrian television, citing a military source, said the army had begun a military operation in the north and northwest of Homs province “with the goal of restoring security and stability to the villages and towns in the area”. “It could be signed and implemented in the coming days”.
Russian Federation carried out its Thursday airstrikes to provide cover for an offensive by Syrian government troops in the central province of Homs, according to Syrian state television and activists.
It said the airport has stopped receiving worldwide flights and has been turned into a base for the Iranian forces and the Russians.
In remarks made following the recent incursions by Russian aircraft into Turkish airspace, Turkish Deputy Undersecretary of Foreign Ministry Ali Kemal Aydin said that Turkey “sincerely” believed that necessary steps would be taken to ensure that such incidents did not happen again, and cooperation would resume between the two countries.
To Bronfman, Russian deployment in Syria also means “opening a corridor for more presence on Israel’s borders by Iran and Hezbollah”.
The Latakia airbase has recently witnessed the arrival of “hundreds” of Russian military advisers and experts, it said.
“The Russians too are backing a political solution to end the crisis in Syria”, said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the Iranian Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.
Meanwhile, a senior official in key regional Syrian ally Iran said Tehran would consider sending fighters to aid Damascus if they were requested. “Any other request will be considered and debated in Iran”.
Russia’s entry into the conflict has raised fears of a potential confrontation with the US-led coalition that began air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq more than a year ago.
The two majority Sunni Muslim powers both support the moderate opposition in Syria and have been infuriated by Moscow’s bombing campaign to prop the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad. Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that Russia’s military moves were “pouring gasoline on the fire” because Russian strikes reportedly have targeted U.S.-backed rebels – not the Islamic State terrorists that Moscow had singled out as the target of its operation.
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The efforts exerted by Iran and Russian Federation is highly appreciated, and the fruits of such efforts will be reaped by countries in the region and all the world, Assad said.
