Secretary of State John Kerry called Russia's sale of weapons to Syria's Assad regime a "destabilizing factor" for Israel's national security on Thursday.
He said that the United States has been concerned about what Syria's acquisition of these weapons could mean for Israel, not detailing what it might entail for Syria, reported CBS News.
Israeli officials have apparently asked Russia to stop the sale of these missiles to President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime has been locked in a state of civil war since the Arab Spring of 2011.
This request came five days after Israeli soldiers bombed a warehouse on the outskirts of Damascas, where they suspected the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah held weaponry.
The Washington Post also reported that Syria plans on supplying "game changing" weapons to Hezbollah, which could lead to an escalated response from Israel.
Israel and Hezbollah have a long history of embattlement. The two entities fought a month-long war in 2006.
If Russia does decide to sell weapons to the Syrian government, it would make it that much more difficult for the United States and various other countries to enforce a no-fly zone over Damascus.
No official word on the sale has been released from Moscow.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexander Lukashevich stated that Russia was growing more concerned with the possibility of international military intervention in Syria earlier this week.
"We are seriously concerned by the signs of preparation of global public opinion for possible armed intervention in the long-running internal conflict in Syria," Lukashevich wrote in an official statement.
Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in efforts to discuss the next step for both countries.
After the meeting, Kerry and Lavrov said they would facilitate an international conference to bring representatives from the Assad regime and the opposition forces fighting against it together.
Russia remains Syria's main ally, and has blocked three UN Security Council resolutions against the Assad regime since the civil war began.
© 2025 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
