(VOA) Moscow may have deployed two of its latest generation stealth warplanes to Syria, according to video footage of a pair of Su-57s landing at a Russian airbase in the war-torn country.
The reported deployment, seen on social media, comes amid rising alarm that the Syria conflict that started out as an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and is now split into several separate struggles could erupt into a wider regional clash between outside powers.
On Thursday, Iran’s deputy foreign minister warned of the risk of the multi-sided fighting in Syria spreading with regional players being brought into direct conflict, saying, “Fear of war is everywhere in our region.” […]
“Russia overall finds its ability to control the complex Syrian conflict—particularly the interplays between the parties involved—much diminished,” according to Pavel Baev in an analysis for the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think-tank. He argues Russia is facing “a series of new challenges” in Syria as other outside adversaries maneuver to secure zones of influence and consolidate footholds via proxies or using their own forces.
Putin thought that he figured out a proper balance of key drivers in the convoluted war, but its new mutation has caught him unprepared. The space for maneuvering between regional adversaries is narrowing,” says Baev. […]
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