Russian Troops Return to Aleppo Countryside after Sudden Withdrawal

Russian military convoy in Aleppo countryside, north Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Russian military convoy in Aleppo countryside, north Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Russian Troops Return to Aleppo Countryside after Sudden Withdrawal

Russian military convoy in Aleppo countryside, north Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Russian military convoy in Aleppo countryside, north Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Russian forces returned to Tal Rifaat and Kashtaar bases, under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), after a sudden withdrawal on Tuesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that a military convoy of pro-Iranian militias headed near Tal Rifaat, carrying heavy and medium weapons and military and logistical equipment, as well as fighters and armored vehicles.

It entered the area to secure the towns mainly inhabited by Shiites and protect them from any possible military operation by the Turkish forces and the National Army supported by Ankara.

Earlier, Russian forces withdrew from Kashtaar and Tel Rifaat bases in the northern countryside of Aleppo, with four columns of armored and military vehicles, and more than 100 members of the Russian forces.

Activists released videos showing two Russian troop convoys with one leaving Tal Rifaat, and another near Fafeen, withdrawing towards Aleppo.

Local sources suggested the Russian forces withdrew because of “disagreements” with the SDF on providing the regime with fuel, grain, and some goods.

Russia also asked SDF to open three crossings and oversee them, but it refused the proposal, according to Hikmat Khalil, deputy head of the Executive Body of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC).

Other sources suggest the sudden withdrawal precedes a total evacuation from the region, which allows the Turkish forces and its affiliated forces to launch a military operation to control Tal Rifaat and the areas north of Aleppo.

The operation also aims to remove SDF, especially that the contact areas with the National Army are witnessing intermittent clashes and infiltration attempts.

The SDF is trying to carry out military operations and lay landmines in areas under the control of the National Army near Azaz, in north Aleppo.

The town of Tal Rifaat and more than 30 nearby villages are under the control of the Kurdish fighters.

It is a major point that connects Gaziantep in Turkey with Aleppo through Bab al-Salama crossing in Azaz, controlled by Turkish-backed opposition factions.

The Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria indicated in a statement on April 9 that five civilians were killed, and six others injured in artillery shelling by the pro-Turkish factions in Tal Rifaat, under the control of the SDF coalition, which hosts a Russian base and regime positions.



Lebanon Arrests Yemeni who Provided Israel’s Mossad with Information about Houthis 

Houthi supporters hold an anti-Israel and anti-US rally in Sanaa, May 30, 2025. (EPA)
Houthi supporters hold an anti-Israel and anti-US rally in Sanaa, May 30, 2025. (EPA)
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Lebanon Arrests Yemeni who Provided Israel’s Mossad with Information about Houthis 

Houthi supporters hold an anti-Israel and anti-US rally in Sanaa, May 30, 2025. (EPA)
Houthi supporters hold an anti-Israel and anti-US rally in Sanaa, May 30, 2025. (EPA)

Israel’s last war on Hezbollah revealed that Lebanon has become “fertile ground” for agents working for Israel.

The war led to the discovery of dozens of agents, who were operating in Hezbollah’s tight circle and part of Israel’s war on the Iran-backed party.

Lebanese security forces recently arrested a Yemeni national on suspicion of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, but this time the target was not Hezbollah, but the Houthis.

He is suspected of providing information to Israel on Houth activity in Yemen and Lebanon.

A judicial source confirmed that the arrest took place in Beirut last week.

The suspect had arrived in Beirut two months ago and was residing at a hotel in the capital, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Last week, he attempted to enter the Yemeni embassy in Beirut, seeking to meet the ambassador to ask for a job so that he would be able to live in Lebanon permanently, he explained.

Guards at the embassy barred his entry because his name was not registered at the mission. A scuffle ensued and the person insulted the guards, prompting them to detain him and seize his mobile phone.

Inspecting the phone, they discovered that he was in constant contact with Israeli numbers. The guards promptly informed the Military Public Prosecution, which ordered his arrest.

The suspect confessed to working for Israel and providing it with information about the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

He said he hailed from the Houthi-held capital of Sanaa and that after he moved to Beirut, he was approached by the Mossad to collect information about Houthi leaders in Lebanon.

The source revealed that the suspect was in contact with the Israelis even as Israel carried out attacks on Yemen.

In fact, the suspect said he was happy that the Houthis were being attacked by American and Israeli forces because of the suffering they have caused in Yemen since their coup against the legitimate government.

The suspect said he was working alone and that he was not part of a network of spies, which is in line with the approach Israel has been adopting in recruiting agents in Lebanon.

Following preliminary investigations, the Military Public Prosecution charged him with “communicating with the Israeli enemy, spying for Israel on Lebanese territories and providing it with information that is harmful to state security.”

He has been referred to the military investigative judge for questioning.