US preparing to establish new military base in Damascus

Six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the US is preparing to deploy military troops to the Mezzeh air base in Damascus to pave the way for the signing of a security agreement between the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) administration in Syria and Israel.

Additionally, the US lifted sanctions against Syria in May-June, excluding those linked to Assad and his inner circle.

This week, it submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations (UN) Security Council to lift sanctions against Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa is expected to meet with Donald Trump at the White House next Monday.

The purpose of the base is to monitor the Israeli border

The American unit at the Damascus base will be located near Syria’s southern regions. These areas are envisioned to become a demilitarized zone as part of a non-aggression pact with Israel. The Trump administration is mediating the agreement.

Sources familiar with the process of preparing the base to receive American soldiers, including two Western officials and a representative from the Syrian Ministry of Defense, confirmed that the US plans to use the base to monitor compliance with the agreement.

Meanwhile, Ahmed al-Sharaa traveled to Moscow in mid-October to meet with President Vladimir Putin.

During this meeting, al-Sharaa reportedly sought Russia’s support to soften Israel’s demands for expanding the demilitarized zone in southern Syria. It is also suggested that al-Sharaa may have proposed deploying Russian soldiers to the Syrian-Israeli border.

Pentagon has accelerated preparations

A Western military official told Reuters that the Pentagon has significantly accelerated its efforts over the past two months to prepare the Damascus base for the reception of its own soldiers.

According to the official, American experts have visited the base several times and concluded that the runway is ready for immediate use.

Two local military sources reported that technical discussions are ongoing for the base to be used for logistics, surveillance, refueling, and humanitarian aid operations, but that the base will remain under the administration of Syrian authorities.

During the talks in Moscow, the protection of Russia’s bases in Latakia and Tartus in western Syria was also on the agenda. At the time, al-Sharaa stated, “We respect all signed agreements and are working to update our relations.”

On the other hand, Hanna Notte, a Berlin-based expert on Russian and Middle Eastern foreign policy and a visiting senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Guardian that she believes Russia, which is continuing its war in Ukraine, is losing influence in the Middle East, where it has tried to position itself as a strong regional actor against the West.

Notte assessed, “When it comes to major processes in the region, the main actors are no longer looking to Moscow. This was confirmed by Russia’s non-involvement in the Gaza peace agreement process.”