Russian forces with the UNDOF on the 1974 line with Israel.
Russian military police forces have established eight static positions along the
1974 disengagement line and have registered a strong presence with
UNDOF observer forces on the occupied Golan Heights line. Moreover,
a Russian force headed by a Russian General arrived, for the second time this year, at the Lebanese Hezbollah post at the Syrian-Lebanese borders at al-Jdeideh. The Russians wanted to establish communication equipment, dishes, and electronics in the same area controlled by Hezbollah. The Lebanese organisation maintains a substantial force in the area after defeating al-Qaeda and ISIS early this year. Hezbollah's presence is said to be focused on preventing the smuggling of weapons and jihadist Takfiris between the two countries.
It is clear that Russia is expanding its control, slowly but surely, over the Levant. However, it is still unclear how far the Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to go.
High ranking sources operating in Syria confirmed to me that "a Russian General arrived with a unit at al-Jdeideh asking to establish a communication system and dishes connecting the Russian forces deployed in the area with a military base in Hmeymim and with Moscow, considered to be the centre of the entire Russian and Syria military operation since mid-2015.
The Russian unit wanted to use Hezbollah's location but was asked to choose another one much higher and further away. Following a quick inspection of the place, the Russian General accepted the offer and based his men at a distance from Hezbollah."
According to these sources,
there are tens of thousands of Russian troops spread all over Syria, with the exception of the north, occupied by Turkey and the US.
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