They claim Russia’s military buildup has increased in recent weeks and diplomacy has shifted into overdrive as President Vladimir Putin seeks to provide greater military assistance to his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, a longtime ally who’s fighting a 4 1/2 year war against ISIS, al-Qaeda, proxies and affiliates.

Other claims include Russia sending dozen fighter jets to a new airfield near Latakia, deploying hundreds of servicemen to the airbase and a nearby port, as well as entering possible combat operations if the government in Damascus requests help – while any armed intervention will be coordinated with Iran, Syria’s main ally, and Damascus.

If all this is true, then the military move has proven all the skeptics in the West wrong, particularly those who claim “Iran and Moscow don’t favor an anti-ISIS campaign in Syria.” It’s just that the United States doesn’t want to see the formation of any true counter-ISIS coalition. Otherwise, they would have welcomed Russia’s military buildup – and Iran’s military assistance - from day one! 

Tellingly, some politicians and pundits in the West have started to doubt the ability of Moscow in fighting and defeating ISIS, quickly rising in the fledgling war-like scene. Well, they are right. Russia is not there to defeat ISIS and liberate Syria. No force in the world can liberate Syria except for the Syrian people.

For all those skeptics, this is not about Russia shifting quickly into a wartime footing either. The “reported” Russian military buildup is not for show. It will include real anti-terror actors. And Russian airstrikes – if any – will be the beginning of a broader process, which won’t be easy. Moscow might have an eye in providing Syrian forces with direct air support, but the ultimate goal is to help Damascus quickly clean up the American-made mess and pave way for a political solution. It’s better late than never.

Besides, moving forward militarily means more assistance from the international community, but it will also boost the Syrian leadership and a sense to urgency to the Syrian army. Resolving this issue, though a daunting challenge, will allow the Syrian army to get back to work in its fight against the vicious terrorist groups with greater results.

This is about helping a sovereign state within the framework of international law and by any means possible, including military, and there are plenty of reasons to believe Putin will not go down the military path without the Syrian government’s consent. What is not in doubt is that the United States and its allies will continue to pay a heavy price for assisting ISIS and other proxy forces. They cannot disguise the overall disarray of US policy in the region, especially in Syria where President Assad is wrongfully blamed for everything that has gone wrong, including the refugee crisis in Europe.

Despite some allegations, the people of Syria have legal connection with the state and President Assad favors whatever hope and possibility are there to come up with a political solution. What the war-torn country needs is for neighboring countries to stop the flow of weapons across the border, and for foreign actors to stop supporting their extremist groups and proxy forces. That’s the only way out of the current gridlock; FNA reported.