Russia is expanding its military presence in Syria by building two additional military bases near the Mediterranean coast, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, publishing several private satellite images from defense intelligence provider IHS Jane's that would seem to depict the construction of military facilities.
These construction works can be seen as the latest sign Russia is preparing to inject its military forces into the country’s 4 1/2-year war and pose new challenges for the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, which is currently trying to avert a clash with Russia in the Middle East, the U.S. business daily reported.
U.S. officials, according to The Wall Street Journal's unidentified source in the administration, are now exploring whether the U.S. could work with Moscow to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad and replace him with a successor from the Alawite sect of Shia Islam, preventing Islamic extremists from taking power.
Obama plans to push the idea in a series of meetings next week during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the report said.
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