Israel is the instigator of the tensions between the US and Russia over the Syrian crisis, a former CIA/NSA contractor tells Press TV.

Israel is the “instigator and the entire source of this problem that’s going to plague the entire world with nuclear war,” Steven Kelley said in an interview with Press TV on Friday.

“None of this would be happening if it was not for the expansionist desires of the Zionist regime, and this very fact that we are now threatened with horrible annihilation and nuclear destruction, should be time for all of us to sit back and look and see who is profiting and who is instigating this fight and it is not between [US President Barack] Obama and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," Kelley said.

"It is the Zionists against the entire world. This is genocide and we really need to stop it as soon as possible,” he added.

He also stated the US is launching attacks against Syrian government forces at the behest and orders of the Israeli regime in order to try to "salvage" the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in Aleppo.

The comments came after Russia warned the US against striking the Syrian forces' positions, saying Moscow was ready to use its air defense systems to protect them.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said that any missile attack or airstrike on the territories controlled by the Damascus government would pose a clear threat to Russian military personnel.

The analyst further noted Washington's desire to destroy Syria and overthrow President Bashar al-Assad is in line with the expansionist policies of the Israeli regime.

“Nobody wants to admit the truth. Everybody is pretending to go along with this charade that ISIS (Daesh) was not created by the United States, that the United States is fighting ISIS, that it does not have anything to do with Israel,” he added.

Kelley also argued all the peace agreements in Syria are meant to allow the Daesh terrorist group to rearm.

Since March 2011, Syria has been hit by militancy it blames on some Western states and their regional allies. Moscow and Washington support opposing sides in the crisis.