Damascus Surprised Moscow

TEHRAN (Defapress) - The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported, citing informed sources, that the Syrian government has requested the return of Russian military police patrols to the country’s southern provinces.

According to the trans-regional newspaper Rai al-Youm, Damascus is believed to see the move as a way to limit Israeli military activity, which has taken control of parts of southern Syria since the end of 2024 and has created a buffer zone there under the pretext of protecting Israel’s northern borders and supporting the local Druze minority.

Kommersant, citing a source who attended a meeting between Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and the Syrian community in Moscow earlier this month, wrote that the Russian Federation’s return to its previous positions could “prevent Israel from interfering in Syria’s internal affairs.”
The source also said that Moscow is capable of regulating relations between the Syrian transitional government and the Israelis.

The newspaper also wrote that after the change of power in Damascus and the accession of Abu Muhammad al-Jolani to the presidency, the Israeli army occupied part of southern Syria and announced that it had created a buffer zone, with the stated aim of securing Israel’s borders and supporting the Druze tribe. At the same time, Russia was forced to reduce its military presence in the region.

On July 31, Asaad al-Shaibani, Foreign Minister of the rebel government in Damascus, arrived in Moscow with an official delegation. Hours after his arrival, Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra also arrived in Moscow and held a lengthy meeting with his Russian counterpart, Andrey Belousov.

Al-Shaibani met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and then with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. During the meeting, the two sides emphasized the beginning of a new stage of Syrian-Russian cooperation, based on respect for national sovereignty, support for Syria’s territorial integrity, and Moscow’s opposition to any Israeli interference in Syrian affairs.