Russia Opposes Deployment of More US Weapons in South Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov affirmed on Friday that the deployment which includes rocket launchers to south Syria near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders is unjustified, SANA reported.
 
“As for reports that the Americans are deploying more weapons, including MLRS, to southern Syria on the border with Jordan and Iraq…Russian military are analyzing the situation in the country, including through the channel that we have with the US on preventing unintended incidents,” Lavrov said.
 
“According to our data, there are almost no ISIS units left in this area. Some experts view the deployment there of such serious weapons as an intention to create an additional military grouping to ensure steady communication channels between the government and pro-government forces in Syria and their partners in the neighboring Iraq,” Lavrov stressed.
 
He warned of the attempt to replace the establishment of a common front against terrorism by trying to “again carry out geopolitical maneuvers” speculating on a sectarian factor, adding that “the Muslim world should be united with all the other sides in the fight against terrorism threat.”
 
The comment on Friday comes after the US deployed High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to southern Syria, close to the border with Jordan. The powerful truck-mounted launchers arrived from Jordan to the city of al-Tanf this week. The city serves as a base for militia forces trained by US instructors.
 
On the information published by the Russian Defense Ministry on the possibility of the death of the leader of ISIS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a raid by Russian aerospace forces, Lavrov said that there is no one-hundred-percent confirmation yet that .
 
“All examples of such actions to ‘decapitate’ terror groups had always been presented with great enthusiasm and pomp, but experience shows that later these groups restored their combat capabilities. These groups, both ISIS and al-Qaeda and their numerous reincarnations are still active,” Lavrov added.