Kremlin Says No Final Decisions Yet on Fate of Russian Military Bases in Syria

 A Russian military aircraft takes off from Hmeimim air base as a Russian military helicopter Kamov KA-50 flies over the base in Syria's coastal Latakia, Syria, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)
A Russian military aircraft takes off from Hmeimim air base as a Russian military helicopter Kamov KA-50 flies over the base in Syria's coastal Latakia, Syria, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)
TT
20

Kremlin Says No Final Decisions Yet on Fate of Russian Military Bases in Syria

 A Russian military aircraft takes off from Hmeimim air base as a Russian military helicopter Kamov KA-50 flies over the base in Syria's coastal Latakia, Syria, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)
A Russian military aircraft takes off from Hmeimim air base as a Russian military helicopter Kamov KA-50 flies over the base in Syria's coastal Latakia, Syria, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)

The Kremlin said on Monday that no final decisions had yet been taken on the fate of Russia's military bases in Syria and that it was in contact with those in charge of the country.

Four Syrian officials told Reuters over the weekend that Russia is pulling back its military from the front lines in northern Syria and from posts in the Alawite Mountains but is not leaving its two main bases after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia said on Sunday it had evacuated some diplomatic personnel in Damascus as well as Belarusian and North Korean diplomats via a special Russian air force flight from its Hmeimim air base.



Gaza's Health Ministry Says the Palestinian Death Toll from the War Has Surpassed 46,000

People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
TT
20

Gaza's Health Ministry Says the Palestinian Death Toll from the War Has Surpassed 46,000

People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza's Health Ministry said Thursday, as the conflict raged into a 16th month with no end in sight.
The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians, said The Associated Press.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in residential areas. Israel has also repeatedly struck what it claims are militants hiding in shelters and hospitals, often killing women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza. Israeli authorities believe at least a third of them were killed in the initial attack or have died in captivity.
The war has flattened large areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its 2.3 million people, with many forced to flee multiple times. Hundreds of thousands are packed into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials.
In recent weeks, Israel and Hamas have appeared to inch closer to an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. But the indirect talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have repeatedly stalled over the past year, and major obstacles remain.