Russia sends ships, aircraft and forces to Syria: U.S. officials

[jpak]

Source: Reuters

Russia has sent two tank landing ships and additional aircraft to Syria in the past day or so and has deployed a small number of forces there, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, in the latest signs of a military buildup that has put Washington on edge.

The two U.S. officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the intent of Russia's military moves in Syria remained unclear.

U.S. officials have not ruled out the possibility that Moscow may be laying the groundwork for an air combat role in Syria's conflict to bolster Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Assad, a longtime Russian ally, has seen the area he controls whittled down to a fifth or less of Syria’s territory after more than four years of grinding civil war.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/09/us-mideast-crisis-syria-usa-idUSKCN0R91TA20150909

[geek tragedy]

1. Afghanistan worked out marvelously for them. nt

[Agnosticsherbet]

2. Well, if they decide to take on ISIS, fine.

They will need more than two ships full of Tanks to do that.

[Uncle Joe]

3. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, jpak.

[nyabingi]

4. Deposing Assad in Syria has been a long-term

obsession for American and Israeli right-wingers and neo-conservatives, and it is for this very obvious reason that the existing "anti-ISIS" coalition (with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, etc.) hasn't really tried in earnest to rid the Middle East of their proxy army. ISIS is currently serving the strategic interests of the "anti-ISIS" coalition, so honestly, why would they actually try to arrest their advances in Iraq and Syria? It's pretty logical, except in the Western media.

Assad is in no way a nice guy, but his country was educated and stable prior to our regime change schemes turned actual and legitimate protests among actual Syrians into a full-blown civil war with jihadists from around the world joining in at the behest of the Western powers. Russia stepping into the picture is troublesome to the West because they know that the Russians aren't going to give ISIS any quarter or assistance - ISIS could actually be destroyed and with their destruction, the goal of removing Assad from Syria and degrading Iran and Hezbollah via proxies would go with it.

It should be newsworthy to note and recognize the fact that Israel, who should be leading the fight against ISIS (no radical Islamist likes Israel right?) but there have been reports that Israel has been assisting al-Nusra fighters in the Golan, offering them medical attention when needed. If you still think the "anti-ISIS" coalition actually wants to defeat ISIS, you're not paying attention.

[TubbersUK]

9. Having really struggled to understand what's going on in Syria

I've now come to pretty much the same conclusion(s) as you. For me, it's the only analysis that makes sense of the situation.

And yes, paying attention to what the various players do rather than what they say is the key to understanding what's going on.

[David__77]

5. I'm no expert on Syria.

My sense, ill-informed though it might be, is that there are a lot of secular, fairly liberal-minded people concentrated in the areas still controlled by the Syrian state. I understand that religious courts rule in the areas controlled by non-ISIS rebels. That doesn't make the Syrian government good or anything like that. It could simply by a function of material living conditions being better in government-controlled areas.

I understand, and don't necessarily agree with, Russian efforts to strengthen the Syrian state. Parts of the country have fallen to an insurgency that seeks to create an Islamic caliphate, and I understand Russia viewing this as a national security issue (and again, don't necessarily agree with it).

What would seem wonderful to me would be the forging of a coalition between the government and those insurgents and opposition groups that are principally guided by political Islamism. I do hope that a Syrian can emerge in which sectarian affiliation is simply not of interest to people.

[snooper2]

7. You should watch the VICE video I posted an OP of today

The "rebels" in the South are who we want to win not fundie Assad

[pampango]

6. Russia's role may be second to Iran's.

But Russia’s role in Syria is being eclipsed to some extent by Iran’s. In recent months Tehran has pushed Assad to follow a policy of retrenchment, accepting that parts of the country are now lost to his enemies and that he should consolidate his control over the area around Damascus and a strip running through Homs to the Mediterranean coast.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/09/russia-complains-of-strange-hysteria-over-its-presence-in-syria

[happyslug]

8. Assad controls only a 1/5 of Syria? That is like saying the US controls only 1/3 of North America

If the US border would move 100 miles North, almost all of Canadian population would be in the US, while most of the lands of Canada would be mostly still north of the US.

Mexico's population center in Mexico City and the area around Mexico City from Acapulco on the Pacific to Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico. Rural population is strong till the Guatemala Border, but you start to see a drop off of population as you near the US Border, for same reason Arizona and New Mexico have relatively low rural population, this is a desert or semi-desert area.

The US is "Stronger" then Canada and Mexico together, for the US has control of the area of North America where more people live.

I bring up the US, Mexico and Canada, to show just because you only control 1/5th of something does not mean you do not also really control the other 4/5ths.

In Syria the area most under the control of ISIS is the Desert Area North of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. That area was given to Syria under the French Mandate for that was about as far as a plane could play in 1920 and return to its air bases in Aleppo and Damascus. As you near the Turkish border you get into the mountains where the Kurds live. The control Assad has over the Kurds is weak, at best, but they are allied with him against ISIS.

Assad strength is among the Awaites, which include Assad and his family. They live in the mountains on the coast between Lebanon and Turkey. This is a rich but rough agricultural area. Damascus is the key city, it is the hub where trade from Lebanon goes to Iraq (and has been that key city since at least 2000 BC).

Lebanon has the ports in the area. There are NO natural ports South of Acre, except for the small port of Jaffa (now Tel Aviv). till you get to Egypt itself. The Mountains north of Lebanon are to rough and to close to the coast for travel, thus people go from the ports of Lebanon to Damascus then north on the east side of those Mountains to Aleppo then to the Euphrates river.

I bring up the geography and trade routes of Syria to point out that the part under ISIS control is the least important part of Syria. The Coastal area, Damascus, Aleppo and the roads between them and Beirut are much more important. The area controlled by the Kurds, between Aleppo and Iraq, just south of Turkey are almost as important. On the other hand, the parts controlled by ISIS include those parts of Syria, south of the Kurdish control area and East of the area controlled by Assad and is the least important area of Syria. It is like ISIS controls the desert around an oasis, but Assad controls the much smaller in area, but what everyone wants, oasis.

Thus that Assad controls only 1/5 of Syria is unimportant, as long as he controls the most important parts of Syria.

[roamer65]

10. Iran has granted the Russians access to its airspace for flyover.

Also reports are that Russia's largest nuclear missile submarine has passed through the Dardanelles on its way to Syria.

IS was right about one thing. Sykes-Picot is dead. The ME map is going to violently change very soon.

[sofa king]

11. The intent is perfectly clear.

Russia leases a small but critically important naval facility at Tartus in Syria. It is as strategically vital to them as Gibraltar is to the British or Guantanamo Bay is to the United States.

They're not going to give it up to a bunch of yahoos, so their intent is to fortify and defend the Tartus facility, and they'll lock down the whole damned city if ISIS dares to drop mortars on it.

Aside from that one thing, the Russians probably don't care at all about Syria. But they absolutely must have a naval facility on the far side of the Dardanelles from the only reliable year-round ports that Russia has, locked away in the Black Sea.

I hope that "U.S. officials" have a reason for feigning ignorance on this subject, because it's one of the few simple ones in the Middle East: the Russians have a port in Syria, and they will destroy anyone who threatens it.

[roamer65]

12. I suspect the intent is to carve out a smaller new Syria from the old larger one.

If one looks at a civil war map, most of western Syria going east from the coast to just about the longitude line of Damascus is either controlled by Syrian government or rebel forces. Defeat those rebels or force them to make peace and the Russians would have a new Syria from the western 1/3 of the old one. Hopefully peace would come to it and refugees could go to it.

[Little Tich]

13. Reuters Exclusive: Russian troops join combat in Syria - sources

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

MOSCOW/BEIRUT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russian forces have begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of government troops, three Lebanese sources familiar with the political and military situation there said on Wednesday.

The sources, speaking to Reuters on condition they not be identified, 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.

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.

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 al-Assad.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-official-says-russian-experts-expand-presence-124536285.html