US worried over Russian missiles

Russia’s decision to deploy its most hi-tech air defence system to its base in Syria is raising “significant concerns” for the US military, a US official said on Wednesday.

Moscow says it is sending S-400 anti-aircraft missiles to Latakia in north-western Syria, in a move that comes after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet in the increasingly crowded air space along the border on Tuesday.

The S-400 missiles have a range of about 400 kilometres, meaning they could reach deep into Turkey or pose a potential threat to US-led coalition planes — adding yet another dangerous element to an already volatile mix of competing military interests in Syria.

“It’s a capable weapons system that poses a significant threat to anyone,” a US official speaking on condition of anonymity said. “There are significant concerns related to air operations in Syria.”

The United States has, since August 2014, led a coalition that has flown more than 8,000 bombing runs against ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq.

Russia, too, is dropping bombs in Syria, but these are mainly in different parts of the country from where US and coalition planes are flying. The West says Russia is propping up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, and not focusing on ISIS jihadists.

Though Russia and the US-led coalition have agreed on guidelines aimed at ensuring pilots stay out of each other’s way, the prospect of batteries of Russian anti-aircraft missiles arriving in Syria is nonetheless raising eyebrows in the Pentagon.