Russia’s purported military buildup in Syria is likely a “lie” by American officials and part of a US media propaganda campaign, according to a political commentator in Moscow.
“So far, the Russian government officials have not confirmed the presence of any Russian troops or Russian military plane on the territory of Syria,” Dmitry Babich told Press TV on Saturday.
“I tend to believe the Russian sources a lot more than American sources; American sources are very often used for propaganda,” said Babich, who is with the Sputnik news agency.
Babich explained that senior US officials have repeatedly made false statements about other countries, including lying about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq during the rule of former dictator Saddam Hussein.
“There were so many cases when the United States officials lied that I don’t think we should believe them now,” he added.
One US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Reuters news agency on Friday that four tactical Russian fighter jets were sent to a Syrian airfield near Latakia.
A second official, who also talked to Reuters, confirmed the report, but declined to offer an exact figure.
“The United States has provided so many unconfirmed reports about various troop movements before that I don’t know if this one is true,” Babich reiterated.
The Obama administration has warned Moscow to limit the transport of military equipment to Syria.
But Moscow is openly defying Washington’s efforts to block the military buildup, significantly increasing tensions with the US.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow would continue arming the Syrian government in its fight against the Takfiri Daesh terrorists, urging other countries to take a similar stance and help Damascus in the battle.
The conflicts in Syria and Ukraine have driven a wedge between Russia and the West. Moscow and Washington have had major differences over the crisis in Syria as well as in Ukraine.