Russian President Vladimir Putin today denied that Russia’s nine-year intervention in Syria had been a failure, but expressed concern about Israel’s military operations there since the toppling of his ally Bashar Al-Assad, Reuters reports.
Putin, addressing multiple questions on Syria at a marathon annual news conference, said Moscow had made proposals to the new rulers in Damascus to maintain Russia’s air and naval bases in the country.
In his first public comments on the subject, he said he had not yet met Al-Assad since the former president fled to Moscow earlier this month, but that he planned to do so.
Putin played down the damage to Moscow from the fall of Al-Assad, saying its military intervention in Syria since 2015 had helped prevent the country from becoming a “terrorist enclave”.
He said Israel was the “main beneficiary” of the current situation.
Soon after Al-Assad’s fall, Israel sent its occupation forces deeper into Syria and occupied the country’s highest peak and a vital water source. It has also carried out more than 400 air strikes across the country, destroying much of its military capabilities.
“Russia condemns the seizure of any Syrian territories. This is obvious,” Putin said, saying Israel had penetrated to a depth of 25 kilometres (16 miles) and got as far as fortifications that were built for Syria by the former Soviet Union.
Putin said Russia hoped that Israel would at some point leave Syrian territory, but “I have the impression that not only are they not going to leave, but they are going to reinforce there.”
He said Turkiye was also intervening in pursuit of its own security interests with regard to Kurdish fighters in Syria whom Ankara regards as terrorists.
“We all understand this. There will be many problems. But we are on the side of international law and for the sovereignty of all countries, while respecting their territorial integrity, meaning Syria,” Putin said.
He said most people in Syria with whom Russia had been in contact about the future of its two main military bases in Syria were supportive of them staying, but that talks were ongoing.
Russia had proposed using its Hmeimim air base to deliver humanitarian aid, and had also evacuated 4,000 Iranian fighters from Syria via that route, he said.
-MEMO
