Thursday, August 31, 2017





The Ark of the Covenant could have held pagan idols and may NEVER have been taken to Jerusalem by King David


  • The team have been excavating Kiriath Jearim where the ark was allegedly kept
  • Researchers believe it was not carried to Jerusalem by King David, but by Josiah
  • His scribes may have justified their political legitimacy by saying it was David
  • Ancient Israelites were polytheists and carried their idols in boxes
  • The ark could have contained Canaanite relics which were worshipped in Kiriath Jearim in the 8th century BC

But now, a team of archaeologists looking at the origins of the legendary Ark of the Covenant say it may have once carried Canaanite pagan idols. 
Researchers have been excavating Kiriath Jearim - an area where the Old Testament claims the ark was kept for 20 years before it arrived in Jerusalem.
They believe that rather than being carried from there to Jerusalem by King David it was carried by Josiah around 400 years later. 
Before converting to monotheism, the Israelites were polytheists and carried their idols in boxes meaning the ark could have been associated with beliefs far removed from the orders of the Ten Commandments.

Researchers have been excavating Kiriath Jearim - the place where the Old Testament claims the Ark of the Covenant was kept for 20 years before it arrived in Jerusalem
Researchers have been excavating Kiriath Jearim - the place where the Old Testament claims the Ark of the Covenant was kept for 20 years before it arrived in Jerusalem

WHAT HAVE THEY FOUND?

Sources suggest the Ark spent 20 years in in Kiriath Jearim but new findings indicate it could have been much longer.
This could explain why there are no more stories about it after 609BC, according to researchers from the College de France and Tel Aviv University.
Indeed, it could even have been Josiah - not King David - who brought the ark back to Jerusalem.
This would suggest the ark came back to Jerusalem in around 600BC and not in 1000BC as suggested in the Old Testament. 
The ancient site is referred to as a place of worship multiple times in the bible, and has various names including Kiryat Ye'arim, Kiryat Ba'al, Ba'alah and Ba'ale Judah - which probably relate to its Canaanite origins.   
Before converting to monotheism, the Israelites were polytheists and carried their idols in boxes.
Their findings suggest the ark could have contained Canaanite relics which were worshipped in the area in the 8th century BC. Despite its fame, nobody has ever been able to find the sacred wooden and gold-plated box.
The Old Testament says the Israelites took the ark through the desert where it was lost to Philistines in battle.
However, legend has it God punished the Philistines with sickness which forced them to return their finds to the Isrealites in Kiriath Jearim, where it remained for 20 years.
The story goes King David then took it to Jerusalem where it was put in King Solomon's Temple, from which point there are no further records of it.
'It is possible that the ark stayed much longer at Kiriath Jearim, and it was only Josiah who brought it to Jerusalem when he wanted to centralize all cultic and political activity there, and his scribes justified it by writing the story about David taking the ark,' Professor Thomas Römer, an expert in Hebrew at the College de France told Haaretz
New findings indicate it could have spent several hundred years in Kiriath Jearim.
This could explain why there are no more stories about it after 609BC, according to researchers from the College de France and Tel Aviv University.
Indeed, it could even have been Josiah - not King David - who brought the ark back to Jerusalem.
This would suggest the ark came back to Jerusalem in around 600BC and not in 1000BC as suggested in the Old Testament. Kiriath Jearim is referred to as a place of worship multiple times in the Bible, and has various names including Kiryat Ye'arim, Kiryat Ba'al, Ba'alah and Ba'ale Judah - which probably relate to its Canaanite origins. Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark of the Covenant, which was believed to be kept at the ancient site of Kiriath-Jearim, in west Jerusalem
Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark of the Covenant, which was believed to be kept at the ancient site of Kiriath-Jearim, in west Jerusalem

WHAT DOES THE OLD TESTAMENT SAY ABOUT THE ARK?

The Old Testament says the Israelites took the ark through the desert where it was lost to Philistines in battle.
However, legend has it God punished the Philistines with sickness which forced them to return their finds to the Isrealites in Kiriath Jearim, where it remained for 20 years.
The story goes King David then took it to Jerusalem where it was put in King Solomon's Temple, from which point there are no further records of it.
New findings indicate it could have spent several hundred years in Kiriath Jearim.
This could explain why there are no more stories about it after 609BC, according to researchers from the College de France and Tel Aviv University.
Their findings suggest the ark could have contained Canaanite relics which were worshipped in the area in the 8th century BC. 
Researchers have now uncovered a wall at Kiriath Jearim which could have supported a temple that was home to one of the most important cults in Israel at the time.
Sources suggest it was located just 12 kilometres (7.4 miles) west of the city and would have rivalled the Temple in Jerusalem.
This is the most important find and suggests Kiriath Jearim was powerful and much more likely to have been home to such an important relic.
'This site might have been one of the most important cultic centers of the country,' Christophe Nicolle, an archaeologist from the College de France told Haaretz.
'This reinforces the idea there was a temple here in the 8th or 7th century B.C.E., perhaps in competition with the Temple in Jerusalem'.Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the two stone tablets bearing the Ten Commandments
Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the two stone tablets bearing the Ten Commandments
Archaeological evidence also  suggests Kiriath Jerarim was home to cult activity during this time. 
This was well after King David was initially supposed to carry the ark off to Jerusalem. 
If these findings are correct, it could mean the ark only spent a few decades in Jerusalem before it was invaded by Babylonians.
Excavators say they are not expecting to find the Ark of the Covenant but are hoping their research will help them better understand the ancient Israelites.
Kiriath Jearim is referred to as a place of worship multiple times in the bible, and has various names including Kiryat Ye'arim, Kiryat Ba'al, Ba'alah and Ba'ale Judah - which probably relate to its Canaanite origins
Kiriath Jearim is referred to as a place of worship multiple times in the bible, and has various names including Kiryat Ye'arim, Kiryat Ba'al, Ba'alah and Ba'ale Judah - which probably relate to its Canaanite origins
'I want to know what's behind it, what it tells us about the history of Judah and Israel, of the cult of the God of Israel and the Temple in Jerusalem', said Dr Römer.
Scholars have suggested over the years the ark story is in fact dated to the 8th century BC and was then incorporated into biblical texts.
There is also debate over the accuracy of depictions of figures such as David and Solomon and the idea there was a unique Israelite kingdom in the 10th century as described in biblical texts.
This research shows the reality is more complex and Christian beliefs incorporated a number of influences from other religions and cultures at the time.

Solomon's Stables under the Temple Platform

Image Description from historic lecture booklet: "When the Temple was built, the summit of Mount Moriah was found not large enough for the building and its courts. The architects adopted the plan of building out the platform and resting it upon great walls reared up form the side of the mountain. we can descend by a series of steps into theses wast substructures which are underneath the open court south of the Dome of the Rock. There are thirteen of these great vaults, including an area of 273 feet from east to wast, and nearly 300 feet from north to south. They are called "Solomon's Stables" from a tradition of their use in ancient times. On the lower courses of the pillars a smooth band or drafting may be noticed. This is characteristic of very ancient work, and may indicate that the foundations of these structures were laid by the Tyrian builders of Solomon's Temple. As we look upward to these arched roofs. let us remember that above them is the platform of the Temple area."

The artifacts may be the first physical evidence of human activity at the Temple Mount—also known as Solomon's Temple—in that time.

7
Israeli Antiquity Authority archeologist Annete Nagar shows the 2,000-year-old Second Temple period drainage tunnel under Jerusalem's Old City at the west side of the Jewish Wailing Wall on January 25, 2011. Israeli archaeologists have finished work, which started in 2004, on the tunnel that starts at a site near the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound inside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, officials said. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)
Religious leaders do not allow archaeological excavations on Temple Mount, one of the holiest sites for Judaism and Islam. The site, known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is now covered by Islam's Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.
The earliest source of information on the First Temple is the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament). According to the biblical sources, the temple was constructed under King Solomon during Israel's period of united monarchy. This puts the date of its construction in the mid-10th century BCE. Some scholars have speculated that a Jebusite sanctuary may have previously occupied the site. During the kingdom of Judah, the temple was dedicated to Yahweh, the God of Israel and is said to have housed the Ark of the CovenantRabbinic sources state that the First Temple stood for 410 years and, based on the 2nd-century work Seder Olam Rabbah, place construction in 832 BCE and destruction in 422 BCE (3338 AM), 165 years later than secular estimates.
The following is a summary of the history according to Book of Samuel and Book of Kings, with notes on the variations to this story in the later Book of Chronicles.
The Mishkan (dwelling place) of the god of Israel, was originally the portable shrine called the Ark of the Covenant, which was placed in the Tabernacle tent. King David, having unified all Israel, brought the Ark to his new capital, Jerusalem, intending to build there a temple in order to house the Ark in a permanent place. David purchased a threshing-floor for the site of the Temple (1 Chronicles 21–22), but then Yahweh told him that he would not be permitted to build a temple. The task of building therefore passed to David's son and successor, Solomon1 Kings 6:1–381 Kings Chapter 7, and Chapter 8 describe the construction and dedication of the Temple under Solomon.
King Solomon requested the aid of King Hiram of Tyre to provide both the quality materials and skilled craftsmen. During the construction, a special inner room, named in Hebrew Kodesh Hakodashim (Holy of Holies), was prepared to receive and house the Ark of the Covenant (1 Kings 6:19); and when the Temple was dedicated, the Ark—containing the Tablets of Stone—was placed therein (1 Kings 8:6–9).
The exact location of the First Temple is unknown: it is believed to have been situated upon the hill which forms the site of the 1st century Second Temple and present-day Temple Mount, where the Dome of the Rock is situated. However, two other, slightly different sites have been proposed on this same hill: one places the stone altar at the location of the rock which is now beneath the gilded dome, with the rest of the temple to the west. The Well of Souls was, according to this theory, a pit for the remnants of the blood services of the korbanot. The other theory places the Holy of Holies atop this rock. Still another location has recently been proposed between the Dome of the Rock and the gilded dome, based on orientation to the eastern wall, drainage channels, orientation of the platform stones, and the location of a possible Boaz pillar base.[6]
2 Chronicles 12:9, and 1 Kings 14:26 describe the Sack of Jerusalem by the Pharaoh Shishaq, who "took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house."
2 Kings 12:4–16 describes arrangements for the refurbishment of the Temple in the time of king Jehoash of Judah in the 9th century BCE. According to 2 Kings 14:14 the Temple was looted by Jehoash of Israel in the early 8th century and again by King Ahaz in the late 8th century (2 Kings 16:8). Ahaz also installed some cultic innovations in the Temple which were abhorrent to the author of 1–2 Kings (2 Kings 16:10–18).
The Temple also figures in the account of King Hezekiah, who turned Judah away from idols; when later in the same century Hezekiah is confronted with a siege by theAssyrian king Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:23, 19:1 and the Taylor prism), Hezekiah "instead of plundering the temple treasuries... now uses the temple the way it is designed to be used — as a house of prayer (2 Kings 19:1–14).[8]
Hezekiah's son, however, is much different from his father and during the reign of Manasseh of Judah in the early and middle seventh century (2 Kings 21:4–9), Manasseh makes innovations to the Temple cult. He has been described as a Solomon who also fell into idolatry, and Manasseh is described as a king who "makes" (2 Kings 21:3–7) or "builds" (2 Kings 21:3) high places (cf. 1 Kings 11:7) (see Deuteronomy 12 for the prohibition against high place worship), yet while Solomon's idolatry was punished by a divided kingdom, Manessah's idolatry was punished by exile.[9]
King Josiah, the grandson of Manasseh, refurbished and made changes to the Temple by removing idolatrous vessels and destroying the idolatrous priesthood c. 621 BCE (2 Kings 22:3–9; 23:11–12). He also suppressed worship at altars other than the Temple's.
File:Tissot Solomon Dedicates the Temple at Jerusalem.jpg

The Temple was plundered by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar when the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem during the brief reign of Jehoiachin c. 598 (2 Kings 24:13), Josiah's grandson. A decade later, Nebuchadnezzar again besieged Jerusalem and after 30 months finally breached the city walls in 587 BCE, subsequently burning the Temple, along with most of the city (2 Kings 25). According to Jewish tradition, the Temple was destroyed on Tisha B'Av, the 9th day of Av (Hebrew calendar).
  

The Temple of Solomon – The first Temple of the Jews was called hecal Jehovah or beth Jehovah, the palace or house of Jehovah, to indicate is splendor and magnificence, and that it was intended to be the perpetual dwelling place of the Lord. It was King David who first proposed to substitute for the nomadic tabernacle a permanent place of worship for his people; but although he had made the necessary arrangements, and even collected many of the materials, he was not permitted to commence the undertaking, and the execution of the task was left to his son and successor, Solomon.

The human-made plateau covers the hill where Jews and Christians believe Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac at God's behest. Islam teaches that Abraham almost sacrificed his son Ishmael, rather than Issac, at God's behest on this site.
Muslims also believe Muhammad ascended to heaven there to receive prayers from God before returning to Earth.

The Temple of Solomon - interior

Physical Evidence
Jerusalem's district archaeologist Yuval Baruch is supervising the Muslim maintenance project.
Baruch and Sy Gitin, director of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, Ronny Reich of Haifa University, and Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University, concluded that the finds might help reconstruct the dimensions and boundaries of the Temple Mount during the First Temple Period.
The findings include animal bones; ceramic bowl rims, bases, and body sherds; the base of a juglet used to pour oil; the handle of a small juglet; and the rim of a storage jar, according to the IAA.
The bowl sherds were decorated with wheel burnishing lines characteristic of the First Temple Period.
In addition, a piece of a whitewashed, handmade object was found. It may have been used to decorate a larger object or may have been the leg of an animal figurine.
"If he built the temple during the tenth century B.C., he—according to the Bible—had to bring a lot of copper to Jerusalem, and the copper had to come from somewhere," said Amihai Mazar, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who was not involved with the study.
If the Bible's accounts of David and Solomon are rooted in reality, it's reasonable to figure the copper came from the closest known source—the contemporaneous site excavated by Levy and Jordanian archaeologist Mohammad Najjar in the area the Bible calls Edom.
Historical Extremes
Seventy years ago American archaeologist Nelson Glueck declared he'd found "King Solomon's mines" around the area Levy's team is excavating.
"He was in the 'Golden Age' of biblical archaeology between the World Wars," Levy said of Glueck.  
"He literally mapped everything that he saw archaeologically to the biblical narrative."
By the mid- to late-20th century, the tide had turned: Many academics were finding no verifiable connection between the Old Testament and actual history from the 12th through 9th centuries B.C.
Some believe that any useful historical accuracy in the holy book was lost during a period of revisions that is believed to have occurred between the seventh and fourth centuries B.C.
Research beginning in the 1970s determined Glueck's mine site became active only in the 7th century BC—hundreds of years after David and Solomon would have lived.
To this day, little archaeological evidence has been found to confirm the reigns of either King David or King Solomon.
"To what extent the Bible really recalls ancient historical reality from the tenth century is hard to say," said the Hebrew University's Mazar, who has been to the site but was not involved with the study.
Striking a Balance
Levy believes his study is a model for archaeologists working in areas described in ancient, sacred texts.
He avoided over-reliance on the biblical chronology, but also did not reject it.
His team created sophisticated, three-dimensional digital recording methods to map the layout of the site and the location of all the artifacts to determine ancient settlement patterns. Organic remains were radiocarbon dated at a lab in the U.K.
According to Mazar, the science is solid.
Levy argues that archaeologists should consider wide-ranging sources of information when examining a site from historical texts and ecological information to cultural materials, anthropology, and sacred texts. "I think that with archaeology, we need to use every possible source of data at our disposal," he said. "If you were interested in ancient India, you'd want to have an objective look at the Mahabharata," he said, referring to the set of sanskrit epics thought to date back to the eighth century B.C. And Icelandic archaeologists might consider the Sagas of Iceland, written in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries A.D.
"We try to create an objective historical archaeology," Levy said.
THOMAS LEVY: Most scholars had assumed that it was traderoutes that stimulated the rise of the Edomite kingdom, but I thought that metal production and mining might be a key factor.
NARRATOR: The local people called it Khirbet en Nahas
THOMAS LEVY: Khirbet en Nahas, in Arabic, means "the ruins of copper." As you can see around us, the site is just covered with heaps of black industrial slag.
NARRATOR: Tom has been excavating this site for almost 10 years. He has shown how ancient smelters separated pure copper from the ore in which it's found, then spewed out slag, the molten waste product of the process. The layers of slag reveal an astonishing record of hundreds of years of ancient copper production.
THOMAS LEVY: I'm really excited about this. Look, right before us we have industrial-scale metal production; layer after layer, almost like a book that, page by page, would reveal the history of metal production at this site.
NARRATOR: Tom believes that metal production played a key role in the evolution of not only Edom but of ancient Israel, too. For ritual and prestige, weapons and tools, metals helped turn simple agrarian societies into kingdoms.
Ancient peoples discovered that, from blue rocks like these, a mysterious new substance could be created. When heated, it was soft and malleable; when mixed with tin, cooled and polished, it had a magical luster. The Stone Age was over. The age of metals had begun.

Tom's student, Erez Ben-Yosef, has been trying to find out how those first copper-producing techniques evolved.



RUSSIA PREPARES IN TWO FRONTS

Russia has been flaunting its military strength with training drills taking place in the Black Sea.
Marines have undergone strict training in the cruel terrain with ships, missile boats and naval aviation teams all part of the operation.
Defence experts say that during the missions they stumbled across a previously undiscovered floating mine.

Russia demonstrates its military power with Black Sea missile tests

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They had to destroy it to complete in the exercise safely.
Air defence training went on in the area as well as the anti-submarine machine Beriev Be-12 being used - a Soviet turbo-powered amphibious aircraft designed for anti-submarine and maritime patrol duties.Bombing practice also took place in the area with air, coastal and surface targets used in the training missions.
The Sukhoi Su-30, a twin-engine, two-seat fighter aircraft developed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation, was also on display.


Russia has been flaunting its military strength with training drills taking place in the Black Sea
Russia has been flaunting its military strength with training drills taking place in the Black Sea
The display of strength comes amid mounting concerns in the West about planned war games by Russia and Belarus. 
A war game is a military exercise carried out to test or improve the tactical expertise of a nation's armed forces.  
The manoeuvers, to be held September 14-20 in Belarus and western Russia, have raised NATO concerns. 
Some alliance members, including the Baltic states and Poland, have criticised Moscow for a lack of transparency and questioned its intentions.
Amid spiraling tensions over fighting in Ukraine, Western worries about the planned manoeuvers have ranged from allegations that Russia could keep its forces in Belarus after the drills, to fears of a surprise attack on the Baltics.
Marines have undergone strict training in the cruel terrain with ships, missile boats and naval aviation teams all part of the operation
Marines have undergone strict training in the cruel terrain with ships, missile boats and naval aviation teams all part of the operation
Russia's Deputy Defense Minister, Lt. Gen. Alexander Fomin, rejected what he described as Western 'myths about the so-called Russian threat.'
'The most improbable scenarios have been floated,' he said at a briefing for foreign military attaches. 'Some have reached as far as to claim that the Zapad 2017 exercises will serve as a 'platform for invasion' and 'occupation' of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine.'
Fomin said the Russian military will invite foreign observers to the manoeuvers, which will involve 5,500 Russian and 7,200 Belarusian troops, about 70 aircraft, up to 250 tanks, 200 artillery systems and 10 navy ships.
Bombing practice also took place in the area with air, coastal and surface targets used in the training missions
Bombing practice also took place in the area with air, coastal and surface targets used in the training missions
Moscow's assurances, however, have failed to assuage Russia's neighbours, which expect the drills to be far greater in scope than officially declared.
Estonian Defense Minister Juri Luik said last month that Moscow could deploy up to 100,000 troops for the manoeuvers. Poland's Deputy Defense Minister Michal Dworczyk also questioned Russia's official claims, saying that Warsaw expects many more Russian soldiers and equipment to be deployed.
Speaking Monday on Polish state Radio 1, Dworczyk expressed hope that the exercise 'will not include any aggressive scenarios' and won't cause any incidents, adding that 'operations on this scale always run this risk.'
The display of strength comes amid mounting concerns in the West about planned war games by Russia and Belarus
The display of strength comes amid mounting concerns in the West about planned war games by Russia and Belarus
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last week that the alliance will send two observers to the manoeuvers, but noted that access offered by Belarus does not constitute real monitoring. He said NATO is seeking 'a more thorough way of observing' the drills.
NATO has rotated military units in the Baltics and Poland and held regular drills in the region - activities that Moscow has criticised as a reflection of its hostile intentions.

The alliance has watched Russian military moves with growing concern following Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine. Russia had leased a naval base in Crimea prior to its seizure, and used troops deployed there to quickly overtake the Black Sea peninsulaTwo Russian stealth submarines tracked by massive Nato air operation arrive in Mediterranean to reinforce Putin's navy operating from Syrian base


  • Vladimir Putin has ordered two of his stealth submarines to the Mediterranean
  • The Russian president wants a permanent naval presence in the Syrian region
  • A massive Nato air operation tracked the two submarines to the Mediterranean
  • Aircraft from Norway, Icleand, Scotland and France followed the submarines  
The 'Improved Kilo' class vessels spent almost two weeks cruising from northern Russia, past the Irish west coast and into the Mediterranean. 
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence: 'The Black Sea fleet's new large diesel and electric submarines, Kolpino and Veliky Novgorod... have arrived in the Mediterranean.'
The 'Improved Kilo Class' submarine Veliky Novgorod diesel electric is one of Vladimir Putin's stealth submarines and has been sent into the Mediterranean on an extended patrol
The 'Improved Kilo Class' submarine Veliky Novgorod diesel electric is one of Vladimir Putin's stealth submarines and has been sent into the Mediterranean on an extended patrol
The Veliky Novgorod is being joined by the submarine Kolpino, which was launched last year
The Veliky Novgorod is being joined by the submarine Kolpino, which was launched last year
Russia signed a 49-year deal with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to expand and modernise its naval base in Tartus, to allow vessels to operate freely and resupply in the Mediterranean 
Russia signed a 49-year deal with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to expand and modernise its naval base in Tartus, to allow vessels to operate freely and resupply in the Mediterranean 
Nato aircraft based in Norway, Iceland, Scotland and France tracked the two submarines as they headed south.  
The Russian ministry said the stealth submarines, which entered service in 2016 and have a speed of 20 knots under water, are intended to boost the Russian navy's permanent presence in the Mediterranean.The submarines, both with crews of 50 and built in the northwestern city of Saint Petersburg, are classified by NATO as 'Improved Kilo' class.
They are fitted with new navigation systems, fully automatised control systems, high-precision missiles and powerful torpedo equipment, the defence ministry said.
At Russia's Syrian base of Tartus in the eastern Mediterranean, Russian ships have played a prominent role backing up an aerial bombing campaign in support of leader Bashar al-Assad.
The Russian submarines spent almost two weeks cruising to the Mediterranean while being monitored from Nato aircraft from Iceland, Norway, Scotland and France 
The Russian submarines spent almost two weeks cruising to the Mediterranean while being monitored from Nato aircraft from Iceland, Norway, Scotland and France 
The two Improved Kilo class submarines are described as Russia's most stealthy 
The two Improved Kilo class submarines are described as Russia's most stealthy 
The Kolpino, pictured, was commissioned in St Petersburg on May 31, 2016
The Kolpino, pictured, was commissioned in St Petersburg on May 31, 2016
During its military intervention in Syria, Russia has deployed warships, submarines and aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean.
In December last year President Vladimir Putin signed an order to expand the naval base at Tartus and allow Russian warships into Syrian waters.
In January, Moscow and Damascus signed a 49-year deal for Russia to expand and modernise the facility.
Russian submarines used in the region are covered from Syria by Moscow's S-300 and S-400 missile systems - known to NATO as 'The Growler', and its Bastion coastal defence system.
According to official figures from last year, some 4,300 Russian military are deployed in Syria. 
IMPROVED KILO CLASS SUBMARINES DEPLOYED TO THE MEDITERRANEAN 
Nato ClassificationImproved Kilo
Underwater Speed20kts
Working dive depth240 metres
Maximum depth300 metres
Crew52 officers and crew
Length74 metres
Breadth10 metres
Underwater range400 miles
Cruising range in snort modeat 7kts7,500 miles
Weapons4 missiles
18 torpedoes
24 mines

Russia INSISTS it is not planning to invade Poland, Lithuania and the Ukraine after sending THOUSANDS of troops into Europe ahead of military war games

  • Kremlin said the large-scale exercise would rehearse a purely defensive scenario
  • The war games - Zapad 2017 - will take place in Belarus from September 14 to 20
  • Officially, 13,000 soldiers are taking part, but experts warn it could be 100,000
  • As well as troops, 700 pieces of Russian military equipment are also being sent 
The Kremlin said on Tuesday the large-scale exercise in Belarus would rehearse a purely defensive scenario and that allegations it was a springboard to invade were false.
Ahead of the Zapad 2017 exercise, Moscow has said it sent 5,500 troops into the country which borders Poland, Lithuania and the Ukraine to join 7,200 Belarusian soldiers as well as 700 pieces of military equipment. 
But experts have warned the true figure of troops could be nearer 100,000, prompting the US to send 600 soldiers to the area as a precautionary. 
Russian paratroopers march during  the celebrations of Paratroopers Day in the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on August 2. The Russian military says major war games, the Zapad 2017 maneuvers, set for next month will not threaten anyone
Russian paratroopers march during the celebrations of Paratroopers Day in the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on August 2. The Russian military says major war games, the Zapad 2017 maneuvers, set for next month will not threaten anyone
Almost 700 pieces of military hardware will be deployed, including almost 250 tanks, 10 ships and various artillery and rocket systems
Almost 700 pieces of military hardware will be deployed, including almost 250 tanks, 10 ships and various artillery and rocket systems
Russian soldiers compete during a team's run at the Army Scout Masters competition, part of Army Games, outside Novosibirsk, 2900 km (some 1800 miles) east of Moscow, Russia. The main event - the Zapad 2017 - will take place from September 14 to 20 in Belarus
Russian soldiers compete during a team's run at the Army Scout Masters competition, part of Army Games, outside Novosibirsk, 2900 km (some 1800 miles) east of Moscow, Russia. The main event - the Zapad 2017 - will take place from September 14 to 20 in Belarus
Russia has used such exercises in the past as a precursor or as a cover to project force in other countries such as Georgia and Ukraine, and the war games are taking place at a time when East-West tensions are high.Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the US Army's top general in Europe, said last month that US allies in eastern Europe and Ukraine were worried the exercises could be a Trojan horse aimed at leaving behind military equipment brought into Belarus.
The fears are not unsubstantiated, given that the Russians invaded the Ukrainian peninsular of Crimea in March 2014.
Vladimir Putin's officials have denied invasion rumours
Vladimir Putin's officials have denied invasion rumours
And NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who has warned that 'substantially more' troops may take part than will be officially divulged, said last week the alliance would be watching closely.
Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin told Western military attaches in Moscow on Tuesday the West had nothing to fear.
'Some people are even going as far as to say that the Zapad-2017 exercises will be used as a springboard to invade and occupy Lithuania, Poland or Ukraine,'Fomin said.
'Not a single one of these paradoxical versions has anything to do with reality.' 
He called suggestions that Russia posed a threat to anyone 'myths'.
The drills, which will be held from September 14 to 20 in Belarus, western Russia and Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad, will simulate repelling an attack by extremist groups.
Fomin, who said the drills were routine and conducted every other year with ally Belarus, added: 'As well as its anti-terrorist backdrop, the Zapad 2017 exercise is of a purely defensive nature.'.
Moscow says almost 13,000 Russian and Belarussian servicemen will take part, as well as around 70 planes and helicopters. 
Almost 700 pieces of military hardware will be deployed, including almost 250 tanks, 10 ships and various artillery and rocket systems.
Ahead of the Zapad 2017 exercise, Moscow has said it sent 5,500 troops into the country which borders Poland, Lithuania and the Ukraine to join 7,200 Belarusian soldiers as well as 700 pieces of military equipment
Ahead of the Zapad 2017 exercise, Moscow has said it sent 5,500 troops into the country which borders Poland, Lithuania and the Ukraine to join 7,200 Belarusian soldiers as well as 700 pieces of military equipment
A soldier takes his gun off his neck. Russia has said it is sending 5,500 troops to Belarus to join their 7,200, but experts have warned the figure could be closer to 100,000
A soldier takes his gun off his neck. Russia has said it is sending 5,500 troops to Belarus to join their 7,200, but experts have warned the figure could be closer to 100,000
A self-propelled gun destroyer 2S25 Sprut-SD fires during the International military forum Army 2016 in Alabino, outside Moscow, Russia
A self-propelled gun destroyer 2S25 Sprut-SD fires during the International military forum Army 2016 in Alabino, outside Moscow, Russia
Russia said the scale of the exercise was in line with international rules. 
With less than 13,000 troops, international observation of the drills was not mandatory, it said.
Belarusian Deputy Defence Minister Oleg Belokonev, speaking in Minsk, said any troops and equipment brought into Belarus for the war games would be withdrawn afterwards.