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.
