Breedlove’s comments follow reports that Russian Federation has plans to establish an air base in the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, which is still under the control of the Assad regime. “Russia’s doubling down on the murderous Assad regime is yet another example of how this Administration’s feckless foreign policy has emboldened our adversaries and diminished our standing in the world“.
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Analysts say President Vladimir Putin may be increasing Russia’s military presence to either help Assad stay in power or give Moscow more say on the terms under which he is forced out. “It appears the runway is not suited to some types of aircraft yet and they have been doing some improvements”, the diplomat said. But more than a week later, the Iraqis had yet to take action.
Russian Federation later said it had been given permission to fly over Iranian territory en route to Syria. “If, as John Kerry has said many times, the United States wants those channels frozen, then be our guest”.
Also Sunday, one of the most powerful Islamic groups fighting Assad’s forces, Ahrar al-Sham, announced that it chose a new leader.
The United States has also been offering limited support to moderate Syrian rebels in the fight against ISIS. Iraq also is buying weapons from Moscow, which Abadi visited in May. The 2 further Russian ships arrived over the weekend in Tartus, a Syrian port utilized by the Russian Navy ’cause the ’70s.
“Neutrality is the best Washington can hope for in Baghdad”, Mardini added. “Iraq is not a dictatorial state like numerous US allies in the Middle East”.
“We have always said that we do not exclude any sort of dialogue and believe that dialogue is a needed instrument to express each other’s positions and finding consensus and understanding”, Peskov told journalists.
And on Saturday, Syrian state media reported the arrival of two Russian planes at the airport in Latakia, saying they were carrying humanitarian aid.
An increased Russian presence inside Syria – including on some air bases – may limit the Israeli air force’s ability to perform strikes against targets in the country that are connected to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Davis said said that the movement “suggests the establishment of a forward-operating air base”, but would not specify the number of troops or types of equipment on the ground that the US has observed.
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While no Russian fighter planes have been observed, dozens of Russian vehicles drive around the base. The official said that flights from Russian Federation continue to flow in at the rate of about two a day, which means there have now been about 14 flights to Latakia. “Clearly, one of the concerns we have is deconfliction, so I think it’s going to be important as this manifests itself, whatever this is, that we address the issue of deconfliction”, he said.
