A senior official from the U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon, revealed to Sky News Arabia that Russian forces have begun a gradual withdrawal from various areas in Syria, specifically from the Hmeimim airbase southeast of Latakia, several weeks ago. The withdrawal operations include thousands of infantry units, as well as air and engineering forces.
The official added that the Russian Ministry of Defense has informed the Syrian government in Damascus of its withdrawal plans, as the latter seeks to fill the Russian void by sending irregular combat units, comprising both government-affiliated forces and others supported by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, to strengthen its presence in the north and northeast in preparation for the possibility of security changes on the ground.
The official, who requested anonymity, stated that the decision from the Russian Ministry of Defense was made based on direct instructions from the Kremlin to reinforce the Ukrainian front with more Russian troops, particularly on the fronts of Donetsk and Luhansk, emphasizing that the war in Ukraine has necessitated utilizing approximately 70 percent of Moscow's combat personnel capabilities. The official concluded by saying that the ongoing Russian withdrawal from Syria is considered the largest since Moscow's intervention in the Syrian conflict in 2015, which he claimed failed to transfer what he termed as "Russian air control experience" from Syria to Ukraine.
