Russian troops join combat in Syria, fueling US concerns

The U.S. and Russia confirmed on Wednesday that Russian forces have begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of government troops. U.S. officials said Russia sent two tank landing ships and additional cargo aircraft to Syria in the past day or so and deployed a small number of naval infantry forces.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov admitted Russia had „experts” on the ground in Syria, its long-time ally in the Middle East.

Speaking to Reuters on condition they not be identified, three Lebanese sources familiar with the political and military situation in Syria gave the most forthright account yet from the region of what the United States fears is a deepening Russian military role in Syria’s civil war, though one of the Lebanese sources said the number of Russians involved so far was small.

The U.S. officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the intent of Russia’s military moves in Syria was unclear. One suggested the focus may be on preparing an airfield near the port city of Latakia, a stronghold of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

U.S. officials have not ruled out the possibility that Russia may want to use the airfield for air combat missions.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to his Russian counterpart for the second time in four days to express concern over reports of Russian military activities in Syria, warning that it could fan more violence.

The White House said it was closely monitoring the situation.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the intensified military Russian activity in Syria was routine. „Russia has never made a secret of its military-technical cooperation with Syria. No reason for hysteria,” the statement read.

Russia says the Syrian government must be incorporated into a shared global fight against Islamic State, the Islamist group that has taken over large parts of Syria and Iraq. The U.S. and Assad’s regional foes see him as part of the problem.

„We would welcome constructive Russian contributions to the counter-IS effort, but we’ve been clear that it would be unconscionable for any party, including the Russians, to provide any support to the Assad regime,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said, using an acronym for Islamic State.

Syrian troops pulling back

Assad’s forces have faced big setbacks on the battlefield in a four-year-old multisided civil war that has killed 250,000 people and driven half of Syria’s 23 million people from their homes.

It should be noted that apart from Iran, Russia is Syria’s last remaining ally. Russia has provided Syria with military equipment on several occasions since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.

Meanwhile, Iran authorized use of its airspace for Syria-bound Russian cargo aircraft after Bulgaria barred Russian aircraft from crossing its airspace.

At the same time, the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front posted videos and photos on the internet this week documenting its insurgents seizing the last Syrian airbase in the Idlib province in the northwest of the country.

According to Arab media reports, the insurgents took advantage of the difficult weather conditions resulting from a severe sandstorm in the region and in a coordinated attack, managed to seize the base and the airport within several hours, taking hundreds of Syrian soldiers captive.

A monitoring group said this meant that government-affiliated troops were no longer present in Idlib, most of which slipped from government control earlier this year.