Moscow is reinforcing its military presence in the Mediterranean near Syria, a Russian report said Tuesday, as speculation grows that Damascus is planning a campaign on rebel-held Idlib province.
Quoting anonymous sources, the Kommersant daily reported that Russia sent two warships and an additional anti-aircraft missile system to the Mediterranean in August.
Pro-Kremlin paper Izvestia said Russia currently has 10 warships and two submarines in Syrian waters, saying this amounted to Moscow's biggest military presence there since it became involved in the conflict in September 2015.
According to Izvestia, Russia plans to send "several more" warships to Syria.
The paper cited military experts as saying the fleet will be able to support the Syrian army's operations in Idlib.
Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has charged that Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham "is close to committing a very serious provocation in Idlib using chemical weapons."
Moscow's accusations came after US President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton said Washington will respond "very strongly" if Syrian regime forces used chemical weapons to retake Idlib.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the Russian military was in talks with leaders of armed groups in Idlib to reach a peace settlement, Russian news agency RIA reported.
Shoigu said the aim of the Idlib talks was to reach peaceful resolution similar to the settlements in Syria's Eastern Ghouta and Daraa, RIA said.
