Russia has information indicating that the US is creating an “army of free Syria” whose goal would be removing the legitimate Syrian authorities, Moscow’s envoy to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said on Tuesday.
“According to our information, Washington has started creating the army of free Syria in Raqqa with the participation of the local Arab tribes, ISIL fighters and other terrorist organizations. The goal here is clear. It is to use these fighters against the legitimate authorities of Syria, so as to destabilize the situation in the country,” Nebenzya told the UN Security Council.
The Ambassador further added that western states are attempting to exert pressure, sometimes forcefully, on Syria and its neighbors so to hamper dialogue with Damascus, noting that the current US behavior on the normalization of relations between the Syrian government and their regional counterparts is “destructive”.
Amid increasing attempts at destabilizing Damascus, Nebenzya also expressed Russia’s concern over the intensification of Israeli airstrikes on Syria, which in some instances are violating the airspace of neighboring states.
The Ambassador noted that in April alone, over 10 airstrikes were carried by Israel on Syria’s regions of Aleppo and Latakia, destroying civilian infrastructure, and causing casualties among the population.
Nebenzya further condemned Israel’s use of force in violation of Syria’s sovereignty and lamented that the UN’s leadership had not issued any statement on the issue.
On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) warned that the US is preparing terrorist attacks on crowded places and government institutions in Syria.
"As a habitual tool for the implementation of their subversive plans [in Syria], the US intelligence services again intend to use Islamic extremists," the SVR said in a statement, adding that "crowded places, shops and government agencies are among the priority targets."