Russians want to negotiate with new Syrian government to keep 2 military bases - Bloomberg
The Russian Federation wants to reach an agreement with the new Syrian leadership on maintaining bases in the Tartus naval port and the Hmeimim airbase.
Bloomberg writes about this, Censor.NET reports.
The publication's sources in Moscow, Europe and the Middle East said that negotiations are underway to keep Russian troops in the Tartus naval port and Hmeimim airbase.
It is noted that the naval base is the only Russian hub in the Mediterranean. The airfield is used to support Russian operations in Africa.
"The Defense Ministry in Moscow believes it has an informal understanding with Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), the former al-Qaeda offshoot that led the offensive to oust Assad, that it can stay at the Syrian bases, the person in Russia said. The situation could still change amid the instability in Syria, the person cautioned," the article says.
However, it was not immediately possible to verify this information with representatives of the Syrian transitional government.
Events in Syria
As a reminder, on 28 November, after four years of relative calm, fighting between Bashar al-Assad's forces and opposition groups resumed with renewed vigour on the outskirts of Aleppo.
"Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" announced a large-scale military operation against government forces. During the operation, they claimed to have captured over 400 square kilometres of territory, including strategically important areas.
November 29 "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" (HTS), which leads a coalition of opposition forces in Syria, entered Aleppo and clashed with government forces on the western outskirts of the city.
On 30 November, the Syrian Armed Forces announced a "temporary withdrawal of troops" from Aleppo to prepare a counter-offensive against the opposition forces.
On 8 December, it became known that the Syrian opposition had captured Damascus and announced Assad's escape.
