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Is Russia Recalibrating Its Coordination with Israel in Syria?
(Al-Monitor) Anton Mardasov - Russian media claims of a change in Russian policy regarding Israeli airstrikes in Syria are largely limited to Russian Defense Ministry claims of success in repelling Israeli missiles with Russian-made air defense systems. Israeli security officials said the Russian rhetoric is little more than a tactical ruse and are contradicted by images of targets hit by Israeli missiles in Damascus and Aleppo. The real effectiveness of the Russian air defense systems deployed to Syria is relatively low. Russian security blogger Yuri Lyamin told Al-Monitor: "To strike targets deep into Syria's territory, Israel utilizes Lebanese airspace or uses Jordan and eastern Syrian airspace that, for all practical purposes, remains under U.S. control....The IDF's capabilities allow it to deploy attack tactics that overwhelm Syrian air defenses." Israel lacks depth for its strategic defenses and therefore needs to adopt preventive measures to limit possible threats. This caution is the reason the Israeli army continues to conduct airstrikes in Syrian territory. The writer is an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).