Russia is holding on to the main naval and air bases it uses as staging points for the Mediterranean and Africa, even as it pulls its forces back from smaller outposts in Syria following the overthrow of its ally Bashar al-Assad.Satellite imagery reviewed on Tuesday showed no signs of a Russian withdrawal from the Tartus naval base or Hmeimim air base near Latakia, both on the west coast of Syria.These facilities were critical for enabling the Kremlin to support Assad’s now-fallen regime in the Syrian civil war, but also serve as a key logistics bridge for Russia to the south.The Kremlin has said the future of its bases in Syria will depend on negotiations with the new authorities after the Assad regime was toppled by rebel forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.Assad fled the country on Sunday after HTS took the Syrian capital, Damascus, and was given asylum in Russia by President Vladimir Putin.Losing the bases in Syria could cost Russia a permanent presence for its navy in the Mediterranean, as well as a stop-off point for operations in Africa, said Pavel Luzin, a visiting scholar at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
The Ilyushin Il-76, Russia’s mainstay Soviet-era heavy transporter aircraft, has a flight range of 4,200km with a medium load. Without access to a Syrian base, Russia’s forces would need to use one or possibly several other airfields to conduct far-flung operations.“Obviously, Russia would like to retain at least a symbolic presence at these bases, so its defeat doesn’t look so obvious.
But whether that happens or not depends on how the political process in Syria itself develops,” Luzin said.
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@TreasuryBradGreen1yr1Y
Why does the EU have no problem with the Al-Qaeda linked Jihadists now controlling Syria facilitating the illegal invasion by the Terrorist State of Israel..? You were outraged by Russia invading Ukraine, but your ok with Israel invading Syria..?
The EU is going to collapse under the weight of its own stupidity.
Just take the win. At least you guys will now have somewhere to deport some of your jihadist immigrants to without feeling too guilty about it.
Hi there! I’m a Jew. Let me make it easy for you: if you never say anything about N.Korea, China, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, the Taliban, ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, Boko Haram but you constantly pipe up about Israel, you’re an antisemite. I hope that clears things up
Last time I checked my tax money went towards sending ISRAEL a quarter of a trillion dollars.
All this so that you could slaughter kids?
Such a dumb argument. Other places have done bad things so we can too? Not to mention, there is SO much more to it than just killing Palestinians.
That’s a lie. Hamas slaughters their own kids, by using them as human shields and attacking Israe
@6YJBDK3Independent1yr1Y
Bullsh*t. Hamas loves their own kids just like anyone else. When you imprison a race of people in a 25x5 mile prison just because you want to steal their land and houses, wtf do you expect to happen? Extremist groups emerge, and where are they supposed to go exactly? Most of Hamas were born in there and you expect them to die in there too, like all the civilians. Well f** you, I would resist too, anyone would. You people have zero empathy, you are literally dead inside.
Al Qaeda and the Jihadists are Zionist, just like just like Erdogan the Zionist now control the middle east China is next on the list they will pay the price for sitting on the side lines watching.
@7DGWSMZConstitution1yr1Y
Have you ever once mentioned Turkey that has actually occupied northern Syria for over 8 years? Israel is just reinforcing a buffer zone in the interim while they work out who is running Syria. You are a terrorist apologist
@ExcitedLardDemocrat1yr1Y
The US has illegally occupied Syrian territory for years and now bombs the country, while Israel is now conquering even more Syrian territory. In contrast, Russia was invited by the legitimate government of Syria. On what grounds can the US lecture other states?
@L0bby1stHareGreen1yr1Y
And Russia didn’t enter Donbas until those regions had a referendum, declared independence and asked Russia for security assistance.
Since the coup in 2014 Putin had discouraged holding that referendum and tried instead to negotiate a settlement for them to remain within Ukraine.
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