Russia Makes New Arrangements in Northeast Syria

Syrian and Russian soldiers are seen at a checkpoint in Damascus. (Reuters)
Syrian and Russian soldiers are seen at a checkpoint in Damascus. (Reuters)
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Russia Makes New Arrangements in Northeast Syria

Syrian and Russian soldiers are seen at a checkpoint in Damascus. (Reuters)
Syrian and Russian soldiers are seen at a checkpoint in Damascus. (Reuters)

Russia arranged for the Syrian army to enter into some areas under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in an attempt to organize the situation in the east of the country.

Earlier, Russian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Moscow is exerting intensive efforts to contain the military escalation in northern Syria, following the military drills and exercises carried out by various parties.

Furthermore, forces allied with Turkey are sending large reinforcements to the countryside of al-Hasakeh and Raqqa.

The Russian military police intensified direct contacts between the Syrian army and the SDF leadership, including the regional Kurdish forces.

Meanwhile, Russia is limiting the Iranian deployment in Qamishli, according to local sources. Moscow issued an order to prevent the transfer of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) members into the areas controlled by the SDF through Qamishli airport.

The Eye of the Euphrates network stated that the Russian decision was made in coordination with the Syrian army. Moscow believes the Iranian presence in the area is not justified, especially since there is no military escalation there.

The Russian military command in Syria informed the army in Qamishli of a decision to prevent the transfer of IRGC from the Syrian provinces to al-Hasakeh. Some 150 Iran-affiliated fighters are deployed in areas near Qamishli airport.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that militias affiliated with Iran had redeployed in towns and villages from al-Mayadin to al-Bukamal, on the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Meanwhile, Syrian regime agencies in Deir Ezzor are preparing for a settlement in mid-November, similar to the one that happened in the Daraa governorate under the auspices of Russia.

Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Damascus has started forming special settlement committees to include all wanted persons.

The Ministry of Interior formed a committee to issue a status settlement document that ensures its holder will not be prosecuted. The relevant military and security checkpoints were notified, according to the sources.

The Secretary of the Deir Ezzor branch of the Baath Party, Raed al-Ghadban, had announced earlier the regime's intention to carry out a "comprehensive settlement" in the province.



Lebanon Elects Army Chief as New President

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
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Lebanon Elects Army Chief as New President

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who enjoys US approval and showing the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.
The outcome reflected shifts in the power balance in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, with Hezbollah badly pummelled from last year's war, and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad toppled in December.
The presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, with deeply divided factions unable to agree on a candidate able to win enough votes in the 128-seat parliament.
Aoun fell short of the 86 votes needed in a first round vote, but crossed the threshold with 99 votes in a second round, according to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, after lawmakers from Hezbollah and its Shiite ally the Amal Movement backed him.
Momentum built behind Aoun on Wednesday as Hezbollah's long preferred candidate, Suleiman Franjieh, withdrew and declared support for the army commander, and as French envoy shuttled around Beirut, urging his election in meetings with politicians, three Lebanese political sources said.
Aoun's election is a first step towards reviving government institutions in a country which has had neither a head of state nor a fully empowered cabinet since Aoun left office.
Lebanon, its economy still reeling from a devastating financial collapse in 2019, is in dire need of international support to rebuild from the war, which the World Bank estimates cost the country $8.5 billion.
Lebanon's system of government requires the new president to convene consultations with lawmakers to nominate a Sunni Muslim prime minister to form a new cabinet, a process that can often be protracted as factions barter over ministerial portfolios.
Aoun has a key role in shoring up a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel which was brokered by Washington and Paris in November. The terms require the Lebanese military to deploy into south Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw forces.
Aoun, 60, has been commander of the Lebanese army since 2017.