Russian Patrols Comb Border Areas in Southern Syria

A photo released by Sweida24 shows a Russian patrol in Dhibin.
A photo released by Sweida24 shows a Russian patrol in Dhibin.
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Russian Patrols Comb Border Areas in Southern Syria

A photo released by Sweida24 shows a Russian patrol in Dhibin.
A photo released by Sweida24 shows a Russian patrol in Dhibin.

Russian military police on Thursday conducted patrols in the governorates of Daraa and Sweida in southern Syria, a private source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“For three consecutive days starting Tuesday, Russian forces carried out several reconnaissance tours in areas mostly bordering Daraa and Sweida, such as the Yarmuk Basin areas near the border with the occupied Golan Heights, the eastern areas near the Jordanian border, and the villages and towns of the far south of Sweida on the Jordanian border,” revealed the source, who requested anonymity.

“During the past few days, Russian police visited several points in Daraa governorate, most notably the city of Busra al-Sham, the stronghold of its allied forces,” added the source.

Russian patrols also passed through several villages in the eastern countryside of Daraa where Syrian border outposts are deployed and Jordanian border guards are nearby.

According to the source, after the end of their tour in Daraa, the Russian forces headed to Sweida and to the areas near the Syrian-Jordanian border.

The patrol reached the town of Dhibin where they conducted a scouting tour, and distributed some humanitarian aid to residents.

Activists said the Russian move carries several messages to the countries of the region and its competitors in Syria, such as Iran. That message is that Russian forces are still managing the region and supervising the settlement agreement in south Syria.

Several reports and news had spread about Russia's "absence" from Syria due to its preoccupation with the war in Ukraine.

Russia withdrew forces from south Syria and deployed them to battlefronts in Ukraine, leaving the region’s governorates open for Iranian ambitions.



Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
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Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had struck "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, the first targeted killing in the area for several months.

In a statement, Israel's military did not give the identity of the targeted person. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

Lebanese state media said a car had been hit near Tripoli and the health ministry reported two people were killed and three others wounded, without identifying them, Reuters reported.

Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in camps that have housed displaced Palestinians for decades.

Since Hamas' cross-border attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel in 2023, Israel has carried out targeted strikes on Lebanese armed group Hezbollah as well as members of Palestinian factions in Lebanon.

Hamas' deputy chief was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs in early 2024, and other strikes hit Palestinian camps in northern Lebanon.

A US-brokered ceasefire last year ended the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, though Israel has continued to carry out strikes on what it says are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, mostly in southern Lebanon.

Tuesday's strike near Tripoli was the first time a targeted assassination had taken place in the area since the truce.

Meanwhile, US envoy Thomas Barrack continued a two-day visit to Lebanon to discuss disarming Hezbollah and other militant groups.