Russia, HTS in 'direct contact' to keep bases in Syria: What we know

Russia confirmed on Thursday that it is communicating directly with the opposition parties now in charge in Syria to maintain its military bases in the country after the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad last Sunday.

The Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as telling journalists late on Thursday that Moscow has established “direct contact” with the political committee of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that led the offensive in Syria starting in late November.

Bogdanov noted that the talks are “proceeding in a constructive fashion.”

Russia plans to keep its naval base in Tartous and the Khmeimim air base near the port city of Latakia, both on the Mediterranean coast, to continue the fight against the Islamic State, he explained.

“The bases are still there,” he added. “No other decisions have been made for the moment.”

“They were there at the Syrians' request with the aim of fighting terrorists from ISIS. I am proceeding on the basis of the notion that everyone agrees that the fight against terrorism, and what remains of ISIS, is not over,” he continued.

Bogdanov further expressed hope that HTS will fulfill its promises to maintain order and ensure the security of foreign diplomatic missions in Syria.

Sources based in Moscow and with knowledge of the matter earlier revealed to Bloomberg on Thursday that Russia and HTS were in talks to keep the military bases in Syria.

According to the same sources, the Russian Defense Ministry believes there is an “informal understanding” with the Syrian group to allow Russia to remain in Syria. But the source warned this could change at any moment given the instability in Syria.

HTS has not commented on the reports.

On Nov. 27, several opposition groups led by HTS launched a surprise assault from rebel-held Idlib in the northwest against Aleppo, which had been in government hands since 2016. Within the span of just 10 days, the rebels captured Aleppo, Hama and Homs before reaching the capital Damascus on Sunday and declaring the fall of the Assad regime that had ruled the country for more than five decades.

Assad and his family fled Syria as the rebels advanced toward the capital and sought refuge in Moscow, according to Russian state media.

The following day, a group of men raised the Syrian revolution flag at the Syrian Embassy in Moscow.

“Today the embassy opened and is working normally under a new flag,” an embassy representative told Russia’s state news agency TASS on Monday.

From the time the civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, Russia provided unwavering support to the former regime. In September 2015, it formally entered the war, providing air support to Assad’s forces against the opposition. Russia’s military intervention helped Assad regain much of Syria’s territory in recent years.

With the fall of Assad, Russia has grown concerned about its role and military presence in the region.

The bases in Syria are Russia's only military outposts in the Middle East.

Built by the Soviet Union in 1971 and expanded in 2017, the Tartous naval base became a strategic point for Russia’s operations in the Mediterranean. Russia's other base in Syria is the Khmeimim airbase, which it established in 2015 as part of its military intervention in the country.

Satellite images by satellite provider Maxar appeared to show Russian warships leaving the port in Tartous on Tuesday, the US Naval Institute News reported.

Meanwhile, other photos taken on the same day showed activity continuing in Khmeimim, with two jets visible on the tarmac.