| Russia to send two warships to Mediterranean |
Russia warns of "catastrophic consequences" of U.S. strike against Syria, sends anti-submarine vessel, missile cruiser to the Mediterranean • However, high-ranking Russian officials say it "will not go to war with anyone" over Syria.
Eli Leon, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
| Russian missle cruiser Moskva [Illustrative] | Photo credit: AFP  | ||||
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Russia hinted Wednesday that while it adamantly believes the West should not interfere in the Syrian civil war, it is highly unlikely that it will actively intervene in case the U.S. will mount an attack against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.
"Russia will not intervene if Syria is attacked," an unnamed, high-ranking government source in Moscow was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency Interfax.
The official's remark echoed a statement by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said Monday that Russia had "no plans to go to war with anyone" over Syria.
But despite these statements, a Russian defense official said that the country would send two ships to the eastern Mediterranean to strengthen its naval presence because of the "well-known situation" there.
Interfax quoted a source in the armed forces' general staff as saying an anti-submarine vessel and a missile cruiser would be sent in the coming days because the situation "required us to make some adjustments" in the naval force. According to Reuters, the Russian Defense Ministry refused to comment on the matter.
Russia, which -- together with China -- has been using its veto power in the U.N. Security Council to ward off any resolutions against Syria, warned Wednesday that a Western military intervention in the Syrian civil war could have "catastrophic consequences" for the Middle East, and urged the international community to show "prudence" over the crisis.
Moscow, which is Damascus' main weapons supplier, has been trying to convince the U.N.'s Security Council to force the U.S. to back down and nix its plans to strike Syria as punishment for using chemical weapons against civilian in an Aug. 21 attack on the outskirts of Damascus.
U.S. President Barack Obama stated Wednesday that Washington has unequivocal proof that the Syrian army used toxic gas -- most probably sarin -- on the civilian population in the area.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said that the U.S. and the U.K. were trying "to bypass the Security Council, once again to create artificial groundless excuses for a military intervention in the region," warning that the "unwarranted attack" would have "catastrophic consequences for other countries of the Middle East and North Africa.
"We are calling on our American partners and all members of the world community to demonstrate prudence [and] strict observance of international law, especially the fundamental principles of the U.N. Charter," he said.
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