Russia is Flexing Its Muscle in The Middle East

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an interview to the German newspaper Bild this week in which he said that Syria needs to take concrete steps towards ending the civil war he has taken an active role in by deploying Russian military units to fight on behalf of the Assad regime. Steps Putin suggested include drafting a new constitution, while he also hinted that Russia might be willing to grant Assad asylum as part of a package deal to end the fighting. He also lamented the deteriorating relations between his ally Iran and Saudi Arabia, which he said would make progress on other regional issues more difficult and declared that his forces in Syria are not only supporting the regime but also anti-regime militias which are battling the Islamic State (IS) terror militia. In related news, a report Sunday in the Daily Beast news site said Russia has begun to directly arm the Lebanese Shi’ite terror militia Hezbollah. Read More >>