The Russian presence in Syria is considerably larger than initial assessments. According to satellite images, 28 fighter jets and about 12 attack helicopters have already been deployed to the Syrian airbase in Latakia. According to early reports, only a few jets and cargo planes had been sent to the embattled country, but the new images reveal a different story. The big question is how such a sizable fleet entered Syria unnoticed. One possible answer is that the Russian jets flew in formation in the shadow of gigantic Ilyushin Il-76 cargo planes. The Ilyushin's radar signature is large and can "cover" for another four fighter jets flying alongside it, rendering them undetectable. Whether this was the method used by the Russians is conjecture at this point, although it appears exceedingly likely. Another theory has the jets making a pit stop in Tehran and from there flying to Latakia. This possibility coincides with their arrival times in the Syrian port city. According to other reports, Israeli Nachshon Eitam (Gulfstream G550) surveillance aircraft tracked the landings in Latakia from a distance, although these reports have not been confirmed either. Meanwhile, Syrian government forces used the newly arrived Russian warplanes to bombard Islamic State insurgents in Aleppo province in northern Syria, a group monitoring the civil war said on Thursday, in an attempt to break a siege on a nearby air base. The airstrikes, which began earlier this week, were accompanied by ground attacks near the Kweiris air base in the east of Aleppo province, where government troops have long been surrounded by Islamist militants, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Russian jets arrived only "recently" in Syria but were being flown by Syrian pilots, said the Observatory, which tracks Syria's conflict via a network of sources on the ground. Many Western countries have reacted with alarm to Moscow's increased military support for President Bashar Assad, whom they oppose. But the rise of a common enemy, Islamic State, has rendered divisions less clear. The United States is waging its own aerial campaign against the militants in Syria and Iraq. Stronger Russian involvement in Syria means that forces of the former Cold War foes could encounter each other as they battle the same enemy. A mosque preacher in Raqqa spoke on Thursday about the Russian "intervention," the Observatory said, welcoming it as a chance for Islamic State militants to fight against Russian forces. Meanwhile, Israel has set up a joint mechanism with the Russian military to coordinate their operations in Syria and avoid any accidental confrontations, a senior IDF official said Thursday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of military regulations, said that teams headed by each of the militaries' deputy chiefs will hold their first meeting in two weeks and will discuss coordination of aerial, naval and electromagnetic operations around Syria. Israel and Russia will also coordinate on sea operations off Syria's Mediterranean coast, where Moscow has a major naval base, the Israeli officer said. The joint mechanism is a result of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting this week in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin, in which Netanyahu raised concerns over the new Russian involvement. Israel has mostly stayed on the sidelines throughout the Syrian war, though it has returned fire when rockets or mortar shells have strayed into Israeli-controlled territory. Its primary concern has been the potential transfer of advanced weaponry to the Shiite Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon and Israel has occasionally carried out airstrikes against suspected weapons shipments. Israeli officials believe that Iran has recently sent hundreds of fighters into Syria to help Assad's beleaguered forces. Hezbollah forces, sent in from neighboring Lebanon, have suffered heavy losses. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said progress had been made in Russian-Israeli contacts over Syria, though he declined to confirm the coordinating team could meet soon. "When it comes to communication channels and coordination of possible actions, yes, in fact, this topic was discussed and certain agreements and points during the meeting with Netanyahu were reached," Peskov told reporters in a conference call. The United States has also raised concerns that Russian military support for Assad could raise the risk of confrontation with the U.S.-led coalition that has been carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria. President Barack Obama will push Putin to explain how his country's military presence in Syria will contribute to defeating Islamic State when the two leaders meet next week, White House officials said on Thursday. Obama and Putin will hold a bilateral meeting on Monday afternoon during the three-day session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. "There's a lot of talk and now it's time for clarity and for Russia to come clean and come clear on just exactly how it proposes to be a constructive contributor to what is already an ongoing multination coalition," said Celeste Wallander, the White House National Security Council's senior director for Russia. Wallander added that Russia's argument that its recently enhanced military presence in the region will counter Islamic State, "doesn't really hold water." The White House said Obama will likely meet with other leaders, but he is not expected to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani despite the nuclear deal Washington and other world partners recently reached with Tehran. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Thursday that he would talk to his Russian counterpart again about Moscow's military intentions in Syria, but cautioned that if the Russians insist on fighting Islamic State without simultaneously pursuing a political solution to Syria's civil war they will be "pouring gasoline" on the conflict. "We're going to be talking to them about their intentions both on the political track and the military track," Carter said. He spoke to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu last Friday, and afterward Pentagon officials said it remained unclear how the Russians intend to use their military in Syria. "To pursue the defeat of ISIL [Islamic State] without at the same time pursuing a political transition is to fuel the very kind of extremism that underlies ISIL, and if that's the Russian view that's a logical contradiction," Carter told reporters. "And the way out of that contradiction is to pursue both of those in parallel. And on that basis I think we're prepared to discuss a way ahead with Russia where the political and the military move in parallel." To do otherwise, Carter said, is to "pour gasoline on the ISIL phenomenon rather than to lead to the defeat of ISIL." Russia's military buildup at Latakia also includes tanks, air defense missiles, personnel and other equipment. In an interview taped with CBS' "60 Minutes" for broadcast Sunday, Putin was asked if his country was "trying to save the Assad administration." Putin responded, "Well, you're right." He said any effort to destroy Assad's government "will create a situation which you can witness now in the other countries of the region ... where all the state institutions are disintegrated." The Russian leader added, "There is no other solution to the Syrian crisis than strengthening the effective government structures and rendering them help in fighting terrorism."
Credit:Reuters
The fighter jets, which were identified by aviation website The Aviationist, include four advanced Sukhoi Su-30SM fighters, 12 Sukhoi Su-25s and 12 multifunctional Sukhoi Su-24s. Additionally, 10 combat helicopters were identified: 10 heavy Mil Mi-24 gunships and two Mil Mi-8 transport helicopters.
