Russia Now Has 28 Combat Planes in Syria Say U.S. Officials
Russia has deployed 28 fighter jets in Syria, U.S. officials said Monday, confirming the latest move in Moscow’s increasing military presence in the war-torn nation.
In addition to the “28 fighter and bomber aircraft[s]” at an airfield in the western Syrian province of Latakia, anonymous U.S. officials told Agence France-Presse, there are also about 20 Russian combat and transport helicopters and an unspecified number of drones, which are already operational across Syria.
“They are not going to sit around and defend the airfield or maybe even the province of Latakia,” analyst Jeffrey White of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told Agence France-Presse. “This kind of aircraft suggests that the Russians intend to exert their combat power outside of Latakia in an offensive role.”
Hezbollah to Cease Syria Assaults After Zabadani
Hezbollah has informed Syrian authorities that it will cease taking part in assaults on rebels inside Syria once the battle in the border town of Zabadani is over, diplomatic sources reportedly told The Daily Star, Lebanon’s largest English-language daily.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said that once Hezbollah takes full control of Zabadani and secures the Syria-Lebanon border, an event expected to happen soon, the task of party fighters would be limited to defending their existing positions within Syria.
The sources attributed Hezbollah’s decision to the group’s limited numbers, possible preparations for another confrontation with Israel and Russia’s recent escalation of direct military support on the ground.
Israel and Russia to Coordinate on Syria Military Action
Israel and Russia agreed on Monday to coordinate military actions over Syria in order to avoid accidentally trading fire, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to Moscow.
Briefing Israeli reporters after he met with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Netanyahu said their goal was to “prevent misunderstandings between IDF [Israeli Defense Force] units and Russian forces” in Syria, adding that he and Putin “agreed on a mechanism to prevent such misunderstandings.”
Russia’s recent reinforcements of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, which include troops, warplanes and anti-aircraft systems, worry Israel, whose jets have occasionally bombed the neighboring Arab country to prevent the transfer of arms to Assad’s Lebanese guerilla ally, Hezbollah.
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