Syria Says its Forces Have Taken over al-Tanf Base after a Handover from the UShttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5240125-syria-says-its-forces-have-taken-over-al-tanf-base-after-handover-us
Syria Says its Forces Have Taken over al-Tanf Base after a Handover from the US
FILE: Members of the Maghawir al-Thawra Syrian opposition group receive firearms training from US Army Special Forces soldiers at the al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria in 2018. (AP/Lolita Baldor)
Syria Says its Forces Have Taken over al-Tanf Base after a Handover from the US
FILE: Members of the Maghawir al-Thawra Syrian opposition group receive firearms training from US Army Special Forces soldiers at the al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria in 2018. (AP/Lolita Baldor)
Syrian government forces have taken control of a base in the east of the country that was run for years by US troops as part of the war against the ISIS group, the Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
The al-Tanf base sits on a strategic location, close to the borders with Jordan and Iraq. In a terse statement, the Syrian Defense Ministry said the handover of the base took place in coordination with the US military and Syrian forces are now “securing the base and its perimeters.”
The US military did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press regarding the Syrian statement.
The Syrian Defense Ministry also said that Syrian troops are now in place in the desert area around the al-Tanf garrison, with border guards to deploy in the coming days.
The deployment of Syrian troops at al-Tanf and in the surrounding areas comes after last month’s deal between the government and the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, to merge into the military.
Al-Tanf garrison was repeatedly attacked over the past years with drones by Iran-backed groups but such attacks have dropped sharply following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government in Syria in December 2024.
Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has been expanding his control of the country, and last month government forces captured wide parts of northeast Syria after deadly clashes with the SDF. A ceasefire was later reached between the two sides.
Al-Tanf base played a major role in the fight against the ISIS group that declared a caliphate in large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014. ISIS was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later.
Over the past weeks, the US military began transferring thousands of ISIS prisoners from prisons run by the SDF in northeastern Syria to Iraq, where they will be prosecuted.
The number of US troops posted in Syria has changed over the years.
The number of US troops increased to more than 2,000 after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas in Israel, as Iranian-backed militants targeted American troops and interests in the region in response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
The force has since been drawn back down to around 900.
This handout photograph taken and released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syrian forensic investigators inspecting a civilian vehicle targeted on the Masyaf bridge in Homs province north of the capital Damascus on September 30, 2026. (SANA/AFP)
TT
TT
Attack on Bus in Syria Kills Seven
This handout photograph taken and released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syrian forensic investigators inspecting a civilian vehicle targeted on the Masyaf bridge in Homs province north of the capital Damascus on September 30, 2026. (SANA/AFP)
A shooting attack on a bus in central Syria on Wednesday killed seven people and left four others wounded, state media reported.
The perpetrators of the shooting in Homs province have not yet been identified, the official SANA news agency added.
A security source who requested anonymity had initially given AFP a preliminary toll of five dead.
Among the bus passengers were "engineers and workers from a private company" and an employee of the Syrian Electricity Company, who is among the victims, the security source said.
Syrian authorities have been facing major security challenges since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime at the end of 2024, with Damascus and its outskirts hit by several attacks.
Shortly before the bus attack, state media reported an explosion at a gas pipeline near one of the country's main power plants, close to Damascus, two days after the sabotage of another pipeline in eastern Syria.
On August 22, a bomb attack on a bus carrying members of the Syrian internal security forces near Damascus injured several people.
In early August, a bus explosion in Jaramana, a town near Damascus, left 14 people wounded.
In July, two explosions occurred near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying during an official visit, although he was not there at the time.
Those blasts killed one person and wounded 36. The authorities later announced the arrest of those responsible, saying they belonged to the ISIS group.
Joy Mixed with Fear as US Forces Quit Iraq Leaving Potential Security Vacuumhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5324541-joy-mixed-fear-us-forces-quit-iraq-leaving-potential-security-vacuum
A man gestures in front of a display of the Iraqi flag while celebrating the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion, in Baghdad, Iraq, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT
Joy Mixed with Fear as US Forces Quit Iraq Leaving Potential Security Vacuum
A man gestures in front of a display of the Iraqi flag while celebrating the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion, in Baghdad, Iraq, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)
Iraqis celebrated the departure of US forces after more than two decades of war on Wednesday, though many feared that any security vacuum could increase the power of Iran-backed armed factions or provide an opening for the return of the ISIS group.
The withdrawal of the final troops, mainly from an airbase in Erbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, ended the biggest US war of the century, which brought widespread devastation and chaos from which Iraq has yet to fully emerge.
Iran, which has entrenched its influence in Iraq through allied armed groups and is determined to drive all US forces out of the Middle East, views the US pullout as a triumph for its "axis of resistance" of allied armed groups across the region.
Iraqi troops paraded in vehicles through the streets of Baghdad and the city of Najaf to mark the pullout.
The withdrawal "fills our hearts with joy," said Baghdad resident Ahmed Salah, who said he felt reborn at the age of 70. But he also said it was now time for powerful armed factions to surrender their weapons, "and let the government be the one responsible to protect me and you on the ground, sky and water."
The pullout was agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and carried out by Donald Trump's administration even as it wages war against Iran next door.
Supporters of Iran-aligned armed factions gather for a rally celebrating the withdrawal of forces of the US-led coalition against the ISIS from Iraq, in Baghdad on September 30, 2026. (AFP)
US forces invaded to topple Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein in 2003, triggering years of upheaval and chaos. The Americans initially left at the end of 2011 but came back less than three years later to assist Iraqi forces after ISIS fighters seized a third of Iraq and imposed violent rule.
Trump said that the United States leaves Iraq with "wonderful" Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi, saying in a Truth Social post that he would "hopefully be able to handle things very well."
More than 4,500 US troops died in Iraq, around twice as many as in the parallel war in Afghanistan. The Iraq Body Count project says more than 200,000 Iraqi civilians were killed.
The Pentagon said the United States and its coalition partners formally concluded "Operation Inherent Resolve" and Washington would continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners.
The Iraqis are expected to lead the effort to secure the country, an ally of both Washington and Tehran, and keep the remnants of ISIS suppressed.
“The end of the international coalition’s mission does not mean the end of our battle against terrorism, but rather Iraq’s transition to a phase in which it assumes full responsibility for its security and stability," said al-Zaidi in a statement.
One of supporters of Iran-aligned armed factions holds up a portrait of Qasem Soleimani, the slain commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad in early 2020, during a rally celebrating the withdrawal of forces of the US-led coalition against the ISIS from Iraq, in Baghdad on September 30, 2026. (AFP)
'SECURITY VACUUMS CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS'
While the departure of US forces is broadly popular among Iraqis, some worry that security forces trained and funded by the United States still can't protect the country.
"The lesson from the past two decades is that security vacuums can be extremely dangerous," said Jassim al-Bahadli, an Iraqi analyst who advises the security forces.
Adil Salman, 45, a high school English teacher, said Iraqis "should not rush to celebrate" the withdrawal.
"Armed factions still operate outside the state's control and ISIS still has not disappeared," he said. "I'm concerned that the US departure could lead to a new period of instability. In the end, people will judge this decision by one thing: whether security remains stable in the coming years."
Hundreds of supporters of pro-Iranian Iraqi armed groups gathered in Baghdad to celebrate the pullout, chanting "Death to America".
They carried portraits of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba, who succeeded him, and top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike on his convoy in Baghdad in 2020.
With US forces present alongside armed groups allied to Iran, Iraq has been caught up in this year's war.
Of the 18 US service members listed as killed since Trump launched "Operation Epic Fury" alongside Israel in February, seven died in Iraq. The last was an army sergeant who died during the controlled detonation of a drone at a base near Erbil in July.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi attend an official ceremony marking Sovereignty Day and the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion, in Baghdad, Iraq, September 30, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office/Handout via Reuters)
The withdrawal raises "the possibility that Iran's proxies will feel increasingly empowered in the absence of a Western military presence. These groups may attempt to expand their role in shaping state policies and consolidating their presence within key institutions," said Baghdad-based political analyst Ahmed Younis.
Some Iraqi security officials say the US pullout also risks giving new life to ISIS fighters, who, despite their defeat nearly a decade ago, retain a sleeper cell network.
The last time the US withdrew, the Iraqi army proved no match for ISIS: soldiers took off their uniforms and fled when the group captured Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, in 2014.
"The most important question now is whether Iraq's security institutions have prepared a viable Plan B for the post-coalition phase," said retired Iraqi Army General Mohammed al-Jubouri, who led a brigade in the war against ISIS.
Lebanese Army and Israel: Washington Keeps Tensions in Check Through Coordination, Talkshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5324465-lebanese-army-and-israel-washington-keeps-tensions-check-through-coordination
Lebanese Army and Israel: Washington Keeps Tensions in Check Through Coordination, Talks
Lebanese soldiers deploy in Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, the first model town in southern Lebanon (DPA)
Dozens of Israeli attacks have targeted Lebanese army units deployed in the south over the past three years, with friction at times between the two armies.
This has continued despite coordination through the United States and, previously, through the ceasefire monitoring mechanism and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), pointing to tensions that have stopped short of confrontation.
The attacks and coordination arrangements will be discussed at a US-sponsored military negotiating session between representatives of the Lebanese and Israeli armies at US Central Command headquarters in Florida on Oct. 20.
Ministerial sources following the international talks said the session would address no civilian issues. Negotiators specializing in law or economics would not participate, and discussions would be limited to military representatives.
Ambassador Simon Karam, head of Lebanon’s negotiating delegation with Israel, would chair the session. Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, would also attend.
The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the talks “will be limited to operational and military issues, such as the ceasefire, halting bulldozing operations, and the possibility of expanding the model zones or making progress on verification in those zones,” as well as the issue of prisoners.
Lebanon will not boycott negotiations
The eighth negotiating session in Rome has stalled and will be postponed until after the Israeli elections. Those talks usually bring together military and civilian delegations to discuss political, economic and operational issues.
Against that backdrop, “the US side considered it more appropriate to hold a session limited to military representatives to discuss matters on the ground.”
The session demonstrates that “negotiations have neither broken down nor been frozen,” despite fading hopes of progress, particularly on the model zones and prisoners.
The United States will set the agenda. The Lebanese delegation will discuss the core positions outlined by President Joseph Aoun at the Paris conference and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the United Nations General Assembly, the sources said.
Dozens of officers and soldiers killed since 2023
The Lebanese army’s role, along with coordination and communication arrangements, is among Lebanon’s priorities.
Since war erupted on Oct. 8, 2023, more than 70 Lebanese army officers and soldiers have been killed in the south during three years of war with Israel. Some died in direct attacks; others were killed by explosive remnants of war.
The toll includes 46 service members killed in 2023 and 2024, according to a tally by Information International.
Lebanese army statements have documented the deaths of 27 officers and service members since the latest war began, following Hezbollah’s launch of six rockets toward Israel on March 2 this year.
The latest incident occurred on Wednesday in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, where a soldier was seriously wounded when a suspicious object left over from the war exploded.
The army command said a soldier and three civilians were wounded in an explosion while troops were accompanying residents inspecting their properties in the area.
“Investigations and an inspection by military engineers established that the incident was caused by the explosion of a suspicious object,” the army said, adding that inquiries were continuing to establish the circumstances.
State institutions barred from the security zone
Repeated bombardment has emptied Nabatieh al-Fawqa of all residents and made it a dangerous area. The army is deployed on its outskirts and at its entrances.
Residents generally ask troops to accompany them into the town for reassurance, reflecting their trust in the army.
Israeli attacks on Lebanese troops have repeatedly occurred in areas the Israeli army has declared off-limits. An attack on a military vehicle killed two officers and a soldier in the Khardali area in June. Friction also occurred between the armies in Deir Mimas last week.
Although Lebanon does not view the incidents as an Israeli message aimed specifically at its army, security sources said Israel “is applying a security zone model that bars all Lebanese, regardless of whether they are civilians, army personnel or members of state institutions.”
The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that last week’s friction in Deir Mimas, where Lebanese troops had deployed at residents’ request, “illustrates what Israel is trying to impose: isolating the security zone it has created from the rest of Lebanon and from state institutions.”
The Lebanese army recognizes only the international border and considers the Israeli presence on Lebanese territory an occupation.
Condemnation of attacks on the army
After each incident, the Lebanese army steps up contact with the US side through either the ceasefire monitoring mechanism or the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L) to prevent friction.
Lebanon’s political leadership and parliament support the army’s position. Its troops are deployed under a decision by the executive branch.
Lawmaker Mark Daou condemned what he described as crimes against the Lebanese army, which is carrying out government orders to establish stability and maintain security in the south.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that communication arrangements between the Lebanese army command, UNIFIL and the ceasefire monitoring mechanism allow them to review attacks on service members.
They also coordinate efforts to prevent further violations against troops and maintain security.
He was referring to direct coordination between the Lebanese army command and the leadership of the mechanism, headed by US Lt. Gen. Joseph Clearfield.
لم تشترك بعد
انشئ حساباً خاصاً بك لتحصل على أخبار مخصصة لك ولتتمتع بخاصية حفظ المقالات وتتلقى نشراتنا البريدية المتنوعة
