NATO concerned by Russian presence in Syria as military build-up reportedly continues
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Reports of growing Russian military activity in Syria are a cause for concern, NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg has said.
Lebanese sources said on Wednesday that Russian forces had begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of government troops.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the Lebanese sources said the Russians were establishing two bases in Syria, one near the coast and one further inland which would be an operations base.
US officials, who also spoke on condition they not be identified, said Russia sent two tank landing ships and additional cargo aircraft to Syria in the past day or so.
One official said dozens of Russian naval infantry had arrived in Syria, but their role was likely to protect incoming military hardware rather than a boots-on-the-ground deployment.
The NATO chief joined other western leaders in calling for a political rather than military solution to the civil war in Syria, which has killed 250,000 people and driven millions of people from their homes.
"I am concerned about reports about increased Russian military presence in Syria," Mr Stoltenberg told reporters during a visit to Prague.
"That will not contribute to solving the conflict."
The United States, which is fighting an air war against the Islamic State group in Syria but also opposes the Syrian government, have said in recent days that they suspect Russia is reinforcing aid to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
Moscow confirmed it had "experts" on the ground in Syria, its long-time ally in the Middle East.
But Russia has declined to comment on the exact scale and scope of its military presence.
Damascus denied Russians were involved in combat, but a Syrian official said the presence of experts had increased in the past year.
French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said reports of Russian troops would complicate efforts to find a political solution to the crisis.
Washington has put pressure on countries nearby to deny their air space to Russian flights, a move Moscow denounced on Wednesday as "international boorishness".
Russia has said the Syrian government must be incorporated into a shared global fight against IS, which has declared a caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq.
Reuters
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