World press on Russia and Syrian civil war (May 19, 2013)

The Wall Street Journal published an article by Adam Entous, Julian Barnes and Gregory White headlined 'Russia Raises Stakes in Syria.'

"Russia has sent a dozen or more warships to patrol waters near its naval base in Syria, a buildup that U.S. and European officials see as a newly aggressive stance meant partly to warn the West and Israel not to intervene in Syria's bloody civil war," the article begins.

"Russia's expanded presence in the eastern Mediterranean, which began attracting U.S. officials' notice three months ago, represents one of its largest sustained naval deployments since the Cold War. While Western officials say they don't fear an impending conflict with Russia's aged fleet, the presence adds a new source of potential danger for miscalculation in an increasingly combustible region."

"Moscow and Washington have worked publicly in recent days to assemble an international conference involving Damascus. But expectations are low that the meeting could lead to a political transition, as tensions have heightened around the region, and with the U.S. and Russia backing opposing camps," the article reads.

The author believe that one of the reasons why Moscow supports the Assad regime is that it wants to keep its military base in the country, the only Russia's military base ouside the former Soviet Union.

The authors also note that despite its previous claims Russia is delivering offensive weapons to Syria.

They also write that US military officials believe the presence of the Russian fleet is the region is not threatening.

"For now, senior U.S. officials said the Russian buildup "is not seen as threatening" to the U.S. Navy, which has two destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean and an aircraft carrier battle group in the Persian Gulf," the article reads.

"Nobody is forecasting the battle of Midway in the eastern Med," the author cite the senior defense official as saying.