Russian aircraft in Syria consistent with ‘force protection’ – Kerry

Emphasising the importance of the visit, Netanyahu took along with him the chief of Israel’s armed forces and the general in charge of Israeli military intelligence.

“It was very important to come here in order to clarify our position and do everything to avoid any misunderstandings between our forces”, Netanyahu said when the meeting began.

“We know that the Syrian army and Syria as a whole are in no condition to open a second front; they need to save their own state”, Putin later said in remarks broadcast on Russian television.

The apparent increase in the flow of Russian arms and personnel to Syria has prompted speculation that the Kremlin may be preparing for direct military intervention on Assad’s side.

A new satellite image has provided solid evidence that Russian Federation has sent more than a dozen attack planes to Syria.

A former Netanyahu adviser said Israel was concerned that Russia’s help for Assad in the war, now in its fifth year, could create a de facto axis between Moscow, Iran and Hezbollah. Of particular importance to Israel is preventing Hizbullah from entrenching its presence on the Golan Heights from where it would operate against the Jewish state.

American officials also claimed that the former Soviet Union has started surveillance flights using drones.

The comments are unlikely to allay fears in the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic terror group Isis, that Russia’s involvement in Syria could escalate the country’s civil war or risk incidents between Russian and other forces active in the country.

Russian Federation is flying unmanned drones over Syria, a USA official confirmed to Fox News source, as Moscow’s military build-up grows to incorporate more fighter jets, tanks & different equipment.

But Russia’s intentions have been unclear in recent days as it deployed a range of new weaponry and troops to its airbase near Latakia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, during their meeting in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence, outside Moscow, Russia.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on Friday, ending an 18-month freeze in military relations triggered by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation anger over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis.