A Russian Su-35S jet. Photo: Wikipedia.

Israeli military officials expressed concern over recent reports indicating long-term Russian presence in Syria, the Hebrew news site Walla reported on Sunday.

Israel Air Force (IAF) commanders said they fear that continued Russian deployment will erode Israel’s regional air superiority and freedom of action. According to Walla, the IAF is also anxious about Russia possibly leaking information about its operations to Iran and Hezbollah.

One senior air force officer called it a “nightmare situation,” Walla reported.

Last week, it was revealed that Damascus and Moscow had previously agreed that Russian aerial deployment at the Hmeimim airbase in northwestern Syria would be for an “open-ended period of time.”