US never expected Russian deployment in Syria: Analyst

The United States never expected that Russia would deploy tactical military equipment to Syria to help resolve the years-long crisis that was created for the benefit of Israel, says a former US congressional staffer.

“The original policy was to destabilize nations in the Middle East for the benefit of Israel and I think the Russian deployment is something that they didn’t think would ever happen,” Rodney Martin told Press TV on Monday.

“I don’t think the United States figured that the Russians would ever deploy air forces and heavy armament and troops outside the territories of the Russian Federation ever again after the collapse of the Soviet Union,” he noted.

Russia has reportedly sent artillery units and tanks as well as dozens of personnel to Syria. US defense officials have said Russia moved fighter jets to a base near Latakia on Friday.

The United States has expressed concern over Russia's moves to support the government of Bashar al-Assad against a foreign-backed militancy in Syria.

Martin suggested that the Middle Eastern countries need to look to Russia as “a significant world geo-political player” in order to “find real solutions and peace in the Middle East.”

“The West and the United States have been the root causes of all of the problems with their propping up of the Zionist regime in Tel Aviv,” he added.

“The only real, serious fighting that is being done against ISIL terrorism and the subsequent crimes against humanity… is Russia and Iran and Syria,” Martin further said. “And we see that in some form, those three nations are working together.”

Asked to comment on recent remarks by Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who criticized President Barack Obama’s policy in Syria, Martin said she is “running away from her policy and Barack Obama’s policy” which gave rise to Daesh (ISIL).

In an interview with CBS News on Sunday, Clinton attempted to distance herself from the Obama administration’s policy in Syria, suggesting the overall US effort in the Arab country has been a “failure.”

“Hillary Clinton wants to be president and her only way of separating herself from that failed policy is to deny her involvement and to criticize the policy that she invoked and she helped develop,” Martin said.

Clinton was the secretary of state during Obama’s first term and his primary opponent before that in the 2008 presidential election. She has been criticized for foreign policy decisions in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk