SOHR : Russia deploys military reinforcements to northern Syria amidst Turkish invasion threat

Military reinforcements arrived at the Russian base in Al-Si’aydiyah village west of Manbij city in the eastern countryside of Aleppo amidst Turkish threats to attack Manbij and Tal Rifaat, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Friday.

SOHR said the new reinforcement comprised nearly 15 military vehicles.

Moreover, Russia carried out helicopter flights over Manbij and frontlines between military formations.

Russian helicopters took off from Al-Qamishli airport on Friday. They flew at low altitudes over the border strip between Syria and Turkey near Al-Qamishli city and Abu Rasin town (Zirgan in Kurdish) in Hasakah province.

The Director of the Media Center of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Farhad Shami, told the Hawar News Agency (ANHA) that the Russian military movement is meant as a political message to debunk rumors that Russia is withdrawing from Syria due to its war in Ukraine.

“Russia wants to say through these movements, ‘I am here, and there has been no change in the field,'” Shami said.

Dana Stroul, the Pentagon’s top Middle East policy official, also told the Senate’s Foreign Relations panel on Wednesday that there has been no “notable change in Russian activities in Syria,” Al-Monitor reported.

Russia has earlier called on Ankara to refrain from actions that could “lead to a dangerous deterioration of the already difficult situation in Syria.”

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. Turkey told Russian officials it wants to clear northern Syria of Kurdish-led forces.