This story has been on the Guardian's website all day. It's entirely consistent with a story floating around yesterday about Russian troops having secured Syrian chemical assets. The advanced anti-aircraft missile batteries that the Guardian claims are being run by Russian "advisers" would presumably be stationed in the same vicinity as the air bases that hold the chemical stockpiles.
There was a flurry of stories back in March of this year claiming that Russian troops were on the ground in Syria, stories that faded away. That of course has nothing much to do with whether the stories are true or not.
One can safely assume that Russia's intervention was on the agenda when Putin and Netanyahu had a face-to-face meeting in June. No one has a keener interest in where Assad's chemical weapons end up than Israel does. At the same time, it would be seen as an intolerable escalation if the Israelis were to act on the matter unilaterally.
Perhaps what we're seeing is a one-hand-washes-the-other symbiosis between Putin and the IDF that seeks to neutralize US influence in the Syrian conflict. If that is the case it would imply that senior elements within the Israeli security establishment have at least for the time being prevailed upon their political masters to put the Iran attack on the back burner.
No comments:
Post a Comment