Syrian opposition fighters took control of the Latakia province, where Russian military facilities – the Khmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval base – are located, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Dec. 9, citing a Syrian source.
The fighters did not enter or threaten the Russian bases, a Kremlin source told TASS separately. The claims could not be immediately verified.
The reports follow a statement by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) that Russia had begun withdrawing its naval and military assets from Syria amid the collapse of dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Oleg Sukhov
Assad's 24-year rule ended following a lighting offensive by opposition forces that culminated in the capture of Damascus, Syria's capital city, on Dec. 8.
The Kremlin has long been a key supporter of the Assad regime, maintaining a substantial military presence in Syria through facilities such as the Tartus naval base, the Khmeimim airbase, and other strategic sites across the country.
According to open-source intelligence researchers, Russian military transport airplanes began arriving in Latakia, presumably to facilitate evacuations.
Opposition fighters took control of the Latakia province on Syria's Mediterranean Sea coast on Dec. 8 without invading the territory of Russian military bases, "which are functioning normally," TASS's source was quoted as saying.
The Russian media previously reported that Assad and his family arrived in Russia on Dec. 8, where they were granted asylum by Russian authorities.
Oleg Sukhov
(Updated: )
