Clear strategy for clear purpose

Russian air attacks against Daesh targets in Homs, Idlib and Hama take our region into a new era.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that an operation command centre had been established in Baghdad, where Iranians, Iraqis and Russians coordinate efforts to fight Daesh.

The six Russian Sukhois (Su-24) flew from Iraq to hit opposition groups fighting Bashar Assad’s regime.

Our region is now witnessing two coalitions: one led by the United States that opposes Assad and another led by Russia, which supports the Syrian president.

The ramifications of an inadvertent confrontation will have its fallout on the people in the area. The 58 Syrians killed in the Russian bombing is just a tiny indicator of how events may develop in order to “create the suitable climate for a political end of the Syrian crisis” as Lavrov said.

Moscow had had a military presence in Syria, in the form of nearly 1,000 experts, since 1967. But they never took part in combat missions the way Russia is doing now.

When President Vladimir Putin asked the Russian Federation for an authorisation to use troops outside the country, he knew that it would be for a long-time job, just like he did when he asked for authorisation before annexing the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Construction work to improve Basel Assad Airport at Humemein, near Latakia, in order for the runways to better serve the heavy cargo planes of the Russian air force, is active.

As part of the “de-confliction strategy”, Israelis and the American-led coalition were warned not to approach Syrian airspace the day of the attack, since an air operation would be on its way. 

More diplomatic demarches will be undertaken in the next few weeks to deny Israelis the opportunity to hit Iranian supplies and missiles passing through Damascus to be delivered to Hizbollah, in Lebanon.

Putin assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel will not be hit from the Golan.

Lavrov said that his country will not try to hit Daesh targets in Iraq, but will confine its operation to Syria only.

This reveals that the whole purpose of the airstrikes is to prop up the Assad regime and to establish a permanent military, naval and air presence in Syria.

The warm waters of the Mediterranean shores have always been a big temptation for Moscow. Moreover, an empire builder like Putin needs a strategic base on the Syrian territory to befit his new image as head of a bipolar world order.