Russian builders boost Assad

Russian forces are working to expand the tarmac of a major airport in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia, a stronghold of President Bashar Assad, a prominent Syrian monitoring group said Sunday.

The head of the Britainbased Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdurrahman, said Russian planes arrived at the Hemeimeem airport in recent weeks carrying military equipment and hundreds of Russian military advisers.

The Associated Press re ported earlier this week, quoting a former Lebanese general with knowledge of the Syrian military, that there were plans to build a military base in the town of Jableh, where the airport is located.

The airport already houses a military base, and has come under shelling from militants. It is the second most important governmentcontrolled airport in Syria after Damascus airport.

The report comes amid rising concern among US officials of increased Russian military activity in Syria. President Obama cast the buildup as an effort to prop up Assad, warning Moscow against doubling down on the embattled leader.

Russia, a longtime backer of Syria’s government, denies it’s trying to bolster Assad and instead says its increased military activity is part of the international effort to defeat the Islamic State, the terrorist group that has wreaked havoc in both Syria and Iraq.