‘Two Russian aid planes land in Syria’

Two Russian planes carrying humanitarian aid landed in Syria on Saturday, state media said, amid reports that Moscow is beefing up military support to its ally Damascus.

“Two Russian planes arrived today at the Latakia Martyr Bassil al-Assad international airport carrying 80 tonnes of humanitarian aid provided by Russia,” state news reported.

Coastal Latakia province is a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad and home to his ancestral village.

The reported aid delivery comes as Washington expressed concern about an alleged Russian military build-up in Syria. US officials say Russia has sent ships, armoured personnel carriers and naval infantry to the country in recent weeks.

And on Friday, Cyprus said Russia had issued an alert asking it to divert aircraft next week because it is planning military exercises off Syria’s coast