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Are Russia, Iran engaged in tug of war over Syria?

Recent reports claim that pro-Russian and pro-Iranian forces are clashing in Syria, raising speculations on just how serious disagreements between Russia and Iran are in Syria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit (SCO) in Qingdao, China June 9, 2018. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS - RC1FFD5C2CA0
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As Moscow urges Damascus and Ankara to cooperate and to revive the Adana agreement, Russian-Iranian relations in Syria face their next challenge. The controversy between Moscow and Tehran has always been a part of the Syrian conflict. However, the debates between the two have started to become more political in nature, influencing the future of Syria’s armed forces and other military entities.

On Jan. 25, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told CNN that he would have rather avoided using the term "allies" to describe Russia's relations with Iran and Syria. He also said that Russia realizes the importance of maintaining Israel’s security. Three days earlier, the Israeli air force launched a heavy attack on Iranian facilities in Syria. Reacting to this, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the chair of Iran's parliamentary foreign policy commission, said that the Israeli army may have a system of coordination with Russian air defense structures.

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