[Regnum] Israel is lobbying the United States to maintain Russian military bases in Syria, Reuters reported on March 1, citing an informed source.
According to these data, Tel Aviv believes that this would help to leave Syria weakened and decentralized and would minimize Turkey's ability to exert significant influence on Syria.
While it is unclear whether the administration of US President Donald Trump is ready to agree to these proposals, the position of the new US government on the Middle East issue remains uncertain, the authors noted.
Some US officials suggested during the meetings that Türkiye, as a NATO member, could be a security guarantor for Tel Aviv, but Israeli officials disagreed, the report also said.
| Yes, that is an idiotic idea. President Recep Tayip Erdogan is furious that, instead of humbly accepting dhimmi status, the only Jewish state insists on believing itself the equal of Christian, and even Moslem states, though the latter are the Master Religion and Allah’s best beloved. |
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Bogdanov noted in December 2024 that Russia expects to maintain military bases in Syria, since they play an important role in the fight against international terrorism.
On February 7, the new head of the Syrian Ministry of Defense, Marhaf Abu Kasra, stated that the country could agree to the preservation of Russian military bases if it would be beneficial to Damascus.
The press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov noted that the negotiation process on the issue of Russian bases in Syria is continuing. In particular, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov discussed this topic during his visit to Ankara, Peskov noted.