MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday issued a stern warning to US forces and their allies in Syria, saying it has deployed Russian special forces alongside Syrian regime troops in the battle for the oil-rich Deir Ezzor province and that Moscow would retaliate if the Russians come under fire.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have already shelled Syrian regime positions outside of Deir Ezzor twice in recent days.
The Russian special forces’ deployment raises the specter of a direct confrontation on the ground between Russian forces and pro-Syrian troops they back on one side, and the US-supported Kurdish-led Syrian forces on the other. US special forces are also operating with the SDF, providing artillery and other support.
“Syrian forces have twice come under massive mortar and rocket artillery fire coming from the areas on the eastern bank of the Euphrates where SDF fighters and US special forces are deployed,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
Konashenkov said the warning was delivered to the US military command. Russian special forces have been deployed to help Syrian regime forces fighting Daesh outside Deir Ezzor, he also said Thursday.
“Attempts to open fire from SDF-controlled areas would be immediately met with retaliation,” he said. “The firing positions in those areas will be immediately destroyed with all the arsenal at our disposal.”
However, a Syrian commander with the US-backed SDF denied Russian accusations of shelling, saying at least 7 km of Daesh-held territory separates them from the Syrian regime troops.
The SDF has already accused Russia of targeting its troops in Deir Ezzor in an airstrike last week, a claim Moscow denied.
The campaign in Deir Ezzor, Syria’s oil-rich eastern province, is caught up in a race between the Russian-backed regime troops and the US-backed SDF.
Both sides are seeking to expand their control of the province bordering Iraq. Many oil fields, including Al-Omar, Syria’s largest, are scattered on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. The Russian-backed campaign has so far been to recapture the city and provincial capital, also called Deir Ezzor.
The US-backed offensive is focused on the Iraq border area, which is still controlled by Daesh.
Russia threatens US in race to capture key Syria town
Russia threatens US in race to capture key Syria town
Iranian FM slams WEF’s double standards after revoking his invite, but keeping Israeli President’s
DUBAI: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has criticised the World Economic Forum (WEF) for rescinding his invitation to the annual meeting in Davos amid his government’s harsh crackdown on nationwide protests, accusing the forum of succumbing to Western pressure and applying “blatant double standards.”
The WEF confirmed that Araghchi will not attend this year’s summit, running until Jan. 23, saying that “although he was invited last fall, the tragic loss of lives of civilians in Iran over the past few weeks means that it is not right for the Iranian government to be represented at Davos this year.”
In a series of posts on X, Araghchi rejected the decision, claiming his appearance was cancelled “on the basis of lies and political pressure from Israel and its U.S.‑based proxies and apologists.”
The Iranian minister criticised what he called the WEF’s “blatant double standards” for keeping an invitation open to Israel’s president despite ongoing allegations of civilian deaths in Gaza. He also referenced Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s participation in last year’s forum in Davos in January 2024 despite facing charges of genocide at the International Criminal Court.
“If WEF wants to feign a supposedly ‘moral’ stance, that is its prerogative. But it should at least be consistent about it,” Araghchi wrote, arguing that the decision exposed a “moral depravity and intellectual bankruptcy.”
