Russia to hold drills in eastern Mediterranean

Moscow insists naval exercise, to include missile cruiser, planned before Syria buildup; Israeli official confirms coordination with Russia over Syria operations

Times of Israel

A fleet of ships led by a guided missile cruiser will be involved in drills in the eastern Mediterranean — which could be near the Syrian or Israeli coasts, the Russian defense ministry said Thursday.

Russia recently has ferried weapons, troops and supplies to an airport near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia in what the US sees as preparations for setting up an air base there.

The Russian defense ministry on Thursday announced drills “in the eastern section of the Mediterranean” later this month and in October involving a guided missile cruiser, a guided missile destroyer, a landing ship and other ships. The ministry said Russia always holds an array of military drills at this time of the year and that the government approved the Mediterranean maneuvers a year ago.

The drills will involve “40 combat exercises” using three warships and include firing missiles, the ministry said. Russia officially alerted Cyprus last week to divert aircraft from the area.

The Moskva guided missile cruiser left the Russia-occupied port of Sevastopol in Crimea earlier on Thursday and went to the Bosphorus, the ministry said without specifying the destination.

The drill could also take place near Israel’s Mediterranean coastline.

On Thursday, a senior Israel military official said the country had set up a joint mechanism with the Russian military to coordinate their operations in Syria.

The official said that teams headed by each of the militaries’ deputy chiefs will hold their first meeting in two weeks. The teams will discuss coordination of aerial, naval and electromagnetic operations around Syria.

The mechanism is a result of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting this week in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin. Netanyahu said he and Putin had reached an understanding on a “mechanism” to prevent any misunderstandings about Israeli efforts to thwart Iran- and Assad-backed groups from carrying out attacks against Israel.

Russia has backed the Assad regime throughout the nation’s civil war, which has killed more than 250,000 people. It recently deployed forces there to help Syria in its battle against Islamic extremist rebels.

Israel has been careful to stay out of the fighting.

On Monday US officials said Russia had deployed 28 aircraft and sources in Moscow said that 2,000 Russian military personnel would be sent to an airbase near the main port city of Latakia, Syria, as fears grow over Moscow’s increasing military presence in the war-torn nation.

Russia has insisted the buildup is a normal part of military aid afforded Assad, a close ally of Moscow, to combat the Islamic State group.

In Moscow, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov blasted foreign media for the hype over Russia’s presence in Syria, saying that a recent report that Moscow could be preparing for a unilateral strike on the Islamic State group in Syria is “speculation that has nothing to do with reality.”

Peskov also said he had no knowledge of any plans for President Vladimir Putin to ask the Russian parliament to give the green light for sending Russian troops to Syria.

Washington in recent weeks has expressed growing concern over Russia’s moves to support Syrian President Bashar Assad and warned that militarily backing his regime risks further hampering efforts at bringing peace.