A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
Russia has asked Israel to avoid launching strikes near its bases in Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy in the Middle East, said on November 13.
Last October, an Israeli strike hit warehouses located less than a kilometer away from Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base near the coastal Syrian city of Jableh in the governorate of Lattakia. Weapons stored inside the warehouses exploded, endangering the air base which is considered the main headquarters of the Russian military group in Syria.
“Israel actually carried out an air strike in the immediate vicinity of Hmeimim,” Lavrentiev, told the RIA Novosti press agency.
“Our military has of course notified Israeli authorities that such acts that put Russian military lives in danger over there are unacceptable,” the diplomat continued.
“That is why we hope that this incident in October will not be repeated, he added.
Israel escalated its attacks on Syria after the outbreak of the war in the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip last October, targeting Syrian military sites as well as personnel of the IRGC, Hezbollah and other factions of the so-called Axis of Resistance.
After expanding operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon in September, the IDF said that it will work to prevent the supply of any weapons from Iran to Hezbollah through the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Lavrentiev also stressed to RIA Novosti that Khmeimim Air Base was not being used to supply Hezbollah with military equipment.
In the same interview, the diplomat stated that Moscow hopes that under the administration of United States President-elect Donald Trump, Washington will adjust its foreign policy discourse in the Middle East.
“We hope that with the arrival of the new president and the new administration and the appearance of new people, some changes and some adjustments in the new administration’s foreign policy are possible, including in the direction of the Middle East,” Lavrentiev said.
Moscow understands that under Trump the U.S. will have very close relations with Israel but believes that all issues and problems, including the Syrian one, must be addressed in a complex way, according to the diplomat.
“There is no way out. First of all, we need to stabilize the situation in the region in general, not let it develop and take on a larger dimension,” he said.
Recent reports in Hebrew and Arab media said that Israel was seeking Russia’s help to reach a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
All in all, Russia’s strong military presence in Syria continues to give the country the opportunities to expand its influence in the Middle East.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
or else :? i have one problem with duo of clowns: putin and lavrov. they have zero credibility. they are talking too much and doing too little. i remember war in former yugoslavia, when russia warned nato against bombing serbian cities, infrastructure and industry just to give _ z e r o _ support to serbs. the same in libya, iraq, yemen, armenia .. and i guarantee you they will not move a finger in iran or belarus, if nato starts a hybrid war there.
you may spend too much time at the circus. russia’s fingers are often hidden. if there is war it will be when iran is ready but not if there are other options. ww-3 is not a solution
hidden in your asshole, of course
filthy gimp
typical hasbara/yankee trolling!
from what i’ve seen, the serbs don’t seem to mind that the only apparent russian support was verbal, in fact i see a consistant amount of verbal support from serbia for russia’s smo but no apparent physical aid. seems to me that both countries give/gave what support they can/could and the other appreciates it.
they are complicit, they are just pretending it’s cinema, since 2016, what has putin done against israel? nothing so there is nothing to hope for
what has putin done? stopped the western regime change operation in syria dead in its tracks. wiped out the takfiri head choppers. given iran advanced weapons and technical support. fought and won the proxy war against russia in ukraine, the biggest european war since 1945. created new economic, political and military relationships with dozens of countries across the planet that will destroy us hegemony. not bad for starters.
he didn’t stop anything at all, we have to stop this fantasy, he just made a few raids with his planes and nothing more, the one who did it was iran, the war is won on the ground and not in the air, look at israel, he has unparalleled aerial firepower and yet he is not even winning in gaza which he has transformed into a pile of ruin!!
common-sense israel’s not going to throw the cat into thd hen house
acts that put russian military lives in danger over there are unacceptable? oh really! go f * c k yourselves russia! have you forgotten about the time the filthy zionist pigs hid near a russian aircraft and the syrians shot it down by mistake killing all on board? what the f*ck did you do about that? shut the f*ck up.
forget about damascus… forget about aleppo, east or west…
but don’t you dare hit our island in the host’s country we refuse to protect with honor and integrity!…
the exceptionals are coming, are you prepared to receive them?
what strong words. impressive.
but lavrov says israel is russia’s friend! i say with friends like that, who needs enemies?
can’t argue with that ! yeltsinism is indeed a strange phenomenon; rooskies in the donbass will attest to that.