| U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss Russia’s apparent buildup of forces in Syria, saying. Russia’s action, Kerry said, “risks exacerbating and extending the conflict, and undermining our shared goal of fighting extremism if we do not also remain focused on finding a solution to the conflict in Syria via a genuine political transition.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed concern about the potential for escalation. He will visit Moscow next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to “present the threats against Israel that arise as a result of the increased flow of advanced weapons into the Syrian arena and the trickle of deadly weapons to Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations,” Israeli officials said. |