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[sludgehound]

2 or more side fronts

Lest we forget there's a bunch of concerns shaping up. Start to think that Russia is seeing our Cuba adventure a trade off for their getting deeper into Syria (old fave spot of theirs) as well as Balkans, Baltics, Arctic. Since US has backed out of world affairs it figures the gaps get filled. Not a bad trade-off if those fleeing are the brains.
Sticky part is leaving old allies dangling in wind.

Israel to Voice Concerns About Russian Deployment in Syria
JERUSALEM --Israeli concerns about Russia's military buildup in Syria will be the focus of a planned meeting in Moscow on Monday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin , according to Israeli officials.
In a major military escalation in the region, Russia has moved jet fighters to a base in Syria for the first time, U.S. defense officials said Friday. The deployment came just hours before U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter spoke with his Russian counterpart, a conversation designed in part to help avert a confrontation between American and Russian forces.
Like the U.S., which is carrying out airstrikes in Syria against Islamic State, Israel is worried that the positioning of Russian fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles in the country could lead to inadvertent confrontations with its own air-force missions over Lebanon and Syria , where it enjoys overwhelming air superiority.
"Once we understand exactly what Russia intends to do in the arena and exactly what it plans to move into it, whether ground or air forces, or others... we'll know what needs to be done," Yossi Cohen , Mr. Netanyahu's national security adviser, told Israel Radio in a rare media interview on Friday. He said that senior Israeli army officers would be part of the Israeli delegation to Moscow .
"If arrangements and coordination are necessary, the relevant arrangements and coordination will be made during this visit," he said.
Mr. Cohen added that the Israeli team wanted "to clarify with the Russian side their intentions and possible implications for Israel , and the required coordination between us in the future, should it be necessary."
Israel conducts routine surveillance missions over Lebanon to monitor activities of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrilla group.
Israeli aircraft have also bombed targets in Syria described as stockpiles or convoys of advanced weapons, including sophisticated Russian-made surface-to-air missiles thought to have been be destined for Hezbollah in Lebanon .
The advanced antiaircraft systems have been described by Israeli officials as "game-changing" because they would challenge Israel's air superiority in Syrian and Lebanese skies.
Israeli officials have repeatedly voiced concern that advanced Russian weapons supplied to Syria could end up in the hands of militant groups involved in the fighting there.
An announcement last week of Mr. Netanyahu's visit to Moscow said he would raise "the threats posed to Israel by the increased flow of advanced war materiel to the Syrian arena, and the transfer of deadly weapons to Hezbollah and other terror organizations."
Along with combat aircraft and an air-defense system, the Russian buildup at a base near Latakia, Syria , has included tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery, according to American officials.
Russian officials have described the buildup as defensive and part of Moscow's routine military support for the Syrian government.
In London on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also raised questions about Russia's intentions in Syria , and urged Moscow to help bring President Bashar al-Assad to the table for serious negotiations about a political transition.
Mr. Kerry added that the U.S. would accept a resolution to the Syrian civil war that allowed Mr. Assad to remain in place for a period before stepping down. Previously, Washington had insisted that Mr. Assad should step down before a transition government takes over, leading eventually to free and fair elections.
As the war in Syria has dragged on, the Israeli government has sought to avoid taking sides in the conflict, saying it is solely concerned with the effect of the fighting on Israel's security.
Hundreds of Syrians wounded in fighting between rebels and Syrian government forces near the Israeli-held Golan Heights have been taken to Israel for hospital treatment, in what has been described as a purely humanitarian effort.
While Israel's former defense minister, Ehud Barak , welcomed the prospect of the ouster of Mr. Assad in the early stages of the Syrian conflict, Israeli leaders have since avoided commenting on what Mr. Assad's fate should be in any future political solution.
Jenny Gross in London contributed to this article.
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09-20-15 1128ET
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