The Russians are going to fortify two more bases in Syria. According to analysts at IHS Jane's, Moscow would have identified two other sites in western Syria to collect troops and military equipment.
The Russians have already fortified the base of Latakia, on the Mediterranean coast of Syria and the port of Tartus. The two new sites were identified in the Istamo storage complex and at the Al-Sanobar military base, north of Latakia. The Pentagon declined to comment on the rumors.
In the sun 48 hours Moscow deployed at the Bassel al-Assad International, an airport south of Latakia on the Mediterranean coast of Syria connected to the main port of the country (protected by five warships), a force capable of striking targets at land. The Russians have twelve Su-24 Fencer low-altitude tactical bombers, twelve Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack and support aircraft, four Su-30SM fighters and fifteen heavy attack helicopters.
In Syria the Kamov Ka-52 'Alligators' have also landed (by checking the ordered platforms, we could also hazard the support troops connected to them, but we reserve the right to clarify this aspect in another study). The Earth's force is composed of nine third-generation tanks T-90, 35 BTR-82A and 500 soldiers. The two bases are protected by different ground-to-air systems. The Bassel al-Assad International is also used by the Kremlin for all reconnaissance and attack missions of drones deployed in Syrian territory.
Despite repeated high-level government contacts on the Syrian issue, the US still does not know the real Russian intentions. If Moscow were to further strengthen the military presence in Syria, within the next few hours it could have an advanced defensive perimeter (Tartus, Latakia, Istamo and Al-Sanobar) from where it could project their power in the Region. The Tartus naval base is the last Russian outpost in the Middle East after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The absence of ISIS, a movement that has always made its voice heard in reference to international dynamics, is increasingly strange. It is clear that the Caliphate strategists have underestimated Putin's determination.
The feeling is that even al-Baghdadi does not clearly understand the intentions of the Russians and that they are looking well, on pain of harsh retaliation, from ordering any kind of attack. Is it orIt should be remembered that the mortar bomb that exploded last Sunday against the Russian embassy in Damascus was not claimed by ISIS.
Since 2011, forces loyal to Assad have been fighting against various opposition groups, some of them radical extremists such as the Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State. Since the start of the war in Syria, the United States has supported the moderate Syrian opposition, demanding Assad's resignation. Russia, on the other hand, recognized Assad as the only legitimate authority of Syria. Moscow is not just trying to support the Syrian government, but also to expand its role within Syria so that it can influence the choice of a new government in case Assad is overthrown.
The next Russian move? Purely psychological before a real aerial counteroffensive. Considering that the specs of the 'Vympel' could already be in action for weeks, in the next hours targeted eliminations could occur aimed at undermining the emotional and organizational stability of the enemy troops.
