Russia Commits Itself To Support The Syrian Regime Of Bashar Assad

Russia Raises Stakes in Syria -- Wall Street Journal

Assad Ally Bolsters Warships in Region; U.S. Sees Warning.

Russia has sent a dozen or more warships to patrol waters near its naval base in Syria, a buildup that U.S. and European officials see as a newly aggressive stance meant partly to warn the West and Israel not to intervene in Syria's bloody civil war.

Russia's expanded presence in the eastern Mediterranean, which began attracting U.S. officials' notice three months ago, represents one of its largest sustained naval deployments since the Cold War. While Western officials say they don't fear an impending conflict with Russia's aged fleet, the presence adds a new source of potential danger for miscalculation in an increasingly combustible region.

"It is a show of force. It's muscle flexing," a senior U.S. defense official said of the Russian deployments. "It is about demonstrating their commitment to their interests."

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My Comment: Sending ship-killing missiles to the Syrian regime and deploying Russian warships off the coast of Syria is Russia's signal to the Syrian rebels and to the international community that Moscow has made the strategic decision to protect the Assad regime at all costs. The rebels are denouncing these moves .... but from the West and (more specifically from Washington) .... the response has been muted.