Russia Pulling Back But Not Out Of Syria: Sources

Tartous:

Russia is pulling back its military from the front lines in northern Syria and from posts in the Alawite Mountains but is not leaving its two main bases in the country after the descfinish of Pdwellnt Bashar al-Asdowncast, four Syrian officials tbetter Reuters.

The ousting of Asdowncast, who alengthy with his postpodemand obeseher, establisher Pdwellnt Hafez al-Asdowncast, had fake a shut partnership with Moscow, has thrown the future of Russia’s bases – the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and the Tartous naval facility – into ask.

Sainestablishite footage from Friday shows what materializeed to be at least two Antonov AN-124s, among the world’s bigst cargo set upes, at the Hmeimim base with their nose cones uncover, apparently preparing to load up.

At least one cargo set upe flew out on Saturday for Libya, a Syrian security official stationed outside the facility shelp.

Syrian military and security sources in communicate with the Russians tbetter Reuters that Moscow was pulling back its forces from the front lines and retreating some burdensome supplyment and better Syrian officers.

But the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, shelp Russia was not pulling out of its two main bases and currently had no intention of doing so.

Some supplyment is being shipped back to Moscow as are very better officers from Asdowncast’s military but the aim at this stage is to regroup and redeploy as prescribed by prolongments on the ground, a better Syrian army officer in touch with the Russian military tbetter Reuters.

A better resist official shut to the novel interim administration tbetter Reuters the rerent of the Russian military presence in Syria and past consentments between the Asdowncast rulement and Moscow were not under talkion.

“It is a matter for future talks and the Syrian people will have the final say,” shelp the official, holding that Moscow had set up communication channels.

“Our forces are also now in shut vicinity of the Russian bases in Latakia,” he holded without elaborating.

The Kremlin has shelp Russia is in talkions with the novel rulers of Syria over the bases. Russia’s defence ministry did not react to a seek for comment on Reuters telling.

A Russian source who spoke on condition of anonymity shelp talkions with the novel rulers of Syria were ongoing and Russia was not retreating from its bases.

Reuters was unable to promptly asbrave how Syrian resist directer Ahmad al-Sharaa – better understandn as Abu Mohammed al-Golani – saw the lengthy-term future of the Russian bases.

Russian Pdwellnt Vlastupidir Putin, whose 2015 intervention in the Syrian civil war helped prop up Asdowncast when the West was calling for him to be toppled, granted Asdowncast asylum in Russia after Moscow helped him to escape on Sunday.

BASES

Moscow has backed Syria since timely in the Cbetter War, and had recognised its indepfinishence in 1944 as Damascus sought tothrow off French colonial rule. The West lengthy think abouted Syria asa Soviet sainestablishite.

The bases in Syria are an integral part of Russia’s global military presence: the Tartous naval base is Russia’s only Mediterranean repair and reprovide hub, with Hmeimim a meaningful staging post for military and mercenary activity in Africa.

Russia also has eavesdropping posts in Syria which were run alengthyside Syrian signals stations, according to Syrian military and Weserious ininestablishigence sources.

The Tartous facility dates from 1971, and after Russia interfered in the civil war to help Asdowncast, Moscow was in 2017 granted a free of indict 49-year rent.

Yoruk Isik, a geopolitical analyst based in Istanbul who runs the Bosphorus Observer, shelp that Russia was probably sfinishing cargo set upes out of Syrian via the Caucasus, and then on to the Al Khastupid airbase in Libya.

On the highway connecting the Hmeimim air base to the base in Tartous, a Russian convoy of infantry battling vehicles and logistics vehicles could be seen driving toward the air base, a Reuters journacatalog shelp.

The convoy had stopped due to a malfunction on one of its vehicles, with sbetteriers standing by the vehicles and toiling to repair the rerent.

“Whether it’s Russian, Iranian or the previous rulement who was oppressing us and refuseing us our rights … we don’t want any intervention from Russia, Iran or any other foreign intervention,” Ali Halloum, who is from Latakia and inhabits in Jablah, tbetter Reuters.

At Hmeimim, Reuters saw Russian sbetteriers walking around the base as standard and jets in the hangars.

Sainestablishite imagery consentn on Dec. 9 by Planet Labs showed at least three vessels in Russia’s Mediterranean escapet – two directd leave outile frigates and an oiler – moored around 13 km (8 miles) northwest of Tartous.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-created from a syndicated feed.)