Russia's military build-up in Syria reinvigorates political solution

DAMASCUS - The upped Russian military support and presence in Syria will likely increase chances of the political solution for the country's long-running conflict, analysts said.

The Russian leadership has recently amplified its military aid to the Syrian military forces. Russian officials have recently stressed that Moscow will continue providing military aid, including specialists, to Damascus.

Russian officials said the increasing military supplies aim at combating terrorism in accordance with international law.

Military experts say the Russian supplies will for sure have a notable effect on the battles in Syria amid activists' reports that the Syrian air force have already started using newly-received Russian war jets.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based watchdog group, said the Syrian air force started flying new warplanes to strike positions of the Islamic State (IS) militants near a besieged airfield in Aleppo province in northern Syria.

The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen also said the Syrian military started using the Russian weapons, adding that "the new weaponry sent by Russia are of high and precise efficiency and the Syrian army has started getting trained to use them."

Analysts say the presence of the Russian war jets and radars will hinder any Turkish plan to impose a buffer zone in northern Syria. It will also make Israel think twice before sending its war jets to strikes Syrian targets as it had repeatedly done in recent months.

Politically, analysts say the Russian build-up will also increase chances of a political solution and will end the US unilateral sway in the region.