The White House is closely monitoring claims that Russia is preparing a military intervention in support of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria, after Israeli and U.K. media published apparent evidence of Russian servicemen and equipment in the country.

« We are aware of reports that Russia may have deployed military personnel and aircraft to Syria, and we are monitoring those reports quite closely, » White House spokesperson Josh Earnest told AFP. » Any military support to the Assad regime for any purpose, whether it’s in the form of military personnel, aircraft supplies, weapons, or funding, is both destabilizing and counterproductive, » he added.

Social media accounts close to Syrian militant, Al-Qaeda affiliated group the Al-Nusra Front also posted images of what they purported to be a Russian Su-34 fighter in flight over Syria.

Another U.S. official told AFP that Russia had asked for « clearances for military flight to Syria » but added « we don’t know what their goals are. » However, he went on to say that the evidence used in the recent reports, which suggested heightened Russian armed activity in Syria, was « inconclusive ».

Earlier this week Israeli newspaper Ynet published a piece citing « Western diplomatic sources » who said that Russia had already sent an expeditionary force to Syria, with plans to send « thousands of Russian military personnel » within weeks.

Meanwhile U.K. newspaper The Times reported on a three minute video broadcast on Syrian television in which appeared to show militias loyal to Assad standing next to Russian BTR armored vehicles, while a voice shouting commands in Russian can be heard offscreen.

Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has urged people not to « believe these reports, » denying that Russia is planning to send troops to Syria and adding that Moscow’s technical cooperation for Assad continues. « Russia maintains [military-technical] cooperation with Syria and supports it. This is a consistent process, » Peskov said.

However, the head of Russia’s Airborne Troops sent different signals on the matter earlier in August, when he told Russian state news agency Itar-Tass that his men are ready to assist Syria in countering terrorism. He did highlight that the country’s leadership would first have to take a decision to send troops, however.