Russian Forces' Role Declines in Syria, 90 Months After their Arrival

Russian military convoy (The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
Russian military convoy (The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
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Russian Forces' Role Declines in Syria, 90 Months After their Arrival

Russian military convoy (The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
Russian military convoy (The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) published the results of its monitoring of the activity of Russian forces, with the completion of their 90 months of involvement in the Syrian crisis.

The first month of the eighth year of the Russian intervention in Syria witnessed several developments within the de-escalation zone that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed upon.

On March 18, a senior Russian officer arrived in Manbij countryside, selected about 30 experienced officers from the regime's 7th Division, and took them with their heavy equipment to the Idlib frontlines.

He replaced them with members of the 1st Division after Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham escalated its attacks on regime positions in the "Putin-Erdogan" area.

In the country's northeast, the Russian forces and their Turkish counterparts conducted five joint patrols, three in the Ain al-Arab countryside within the Aleppo governorate and two in the Darbasiyah countryside al-Hasakah.

The Russian forces brought several military reinforcements to their positions in northeast Syria.

In March, SOHR activists reported a Russian military convoy carrying many prefabricated rooms from Aleppo towards areas east of the Euphrates.

On March 18, the Russian forces brought new military reinforcements to their base in al-Saidiya, in the Manbij countryside, east of Aleppo.

The Observatory indicated that the reinforcement comprised 40 anti-aircraft armored vehicles, weapons, and logistical supplies that would be distributed to Russian bases planned to be reinforced.

On March 27, the Russian forces brought new military reinforcements to their base at Sarin Airport in the Ain al-Arab countryside in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.

The Russian forces include an advanced Russian "Buk" air defense system, eight Tushka missiles, and radars. Tushka missiles are considered ballistic weapons that have great destructive capacity.

The SOHR documented "timid" aerial operations by Russian forces in the Syrian desert, despite the considerable escalation of bloody operations by ISIS, which killed 27 civilians and 44 members of regime forces and their proxy militias.

The Observatory documented the death of 21,123 persons between September 2015 and March 2023, including 8,697 civilians, 6,201 ISIS terrorists, and 6,225 fighters.

SOHR reported that Russia used Thermite-type explosives in their airstrikes, a substance composed of aluminum powder and iron oxide, which causes burns as it continues to ignite for about 180 seconds.

Russian military aircraft carried anti-individuals and anti-vehicles small-sized bombs, loaded with 50 to 110 small-sized bombs stuffed with Thermite. The range of these anti-individual and anti-vehicles bombs reaches 20 to 30 meters.



Lebanese Govt. to Seek New IMF Program, Policy Statement Says

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
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Lebanese Govt. to Seek New IMF Program, Policy Statement Says

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo

Lebanon's new government will negotiate with the International Monetary Fund for a new program and will work to deal with the country's financial default and public debt, according to a policy statement approved by the cabinet late on Monday.

The statement, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, said the government would work for an economical revival that could only be achieved through restructuring the banking sector.

Lebanon has been in deep economic crisis since 2019, when its financial system collapsed under the weight of massive state debts, prompting a sovereign default in 2020 and freezing ordinary depositors out of their savings in the banking system.

Beirut reached a draft funding deal with IMF in 2022 - contingent on reforms that authorities failed to deliver.

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who took office as part of a new government agreed earlier this month, told Reuters an IMF mission is expected to visit Lebanon in March.

Jaber said he had met the IMF's resident representative in Lebanon, Frederico Lima, and confirmed that the government plans to move ahead with reforms.

Lebanon's political landscape has been turned on its head since the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, long a dominant player in Lebanese politics, was badly pummelled in last year's war with Israel.

Reflecting the shift in the power balance, the government policy statement did not include language used in previous years that was seen to legitimize a role for Hezbollah in defending Lebanon, saying instead "we want a state that has the decision of war and peace".

The statement said it was required to adopt a national security strategy and a foreign policy that works to 'neutralize' Lebanon from conflicts.

In the field of energy, the Lebanese government will seek to resume work in oil and gas exploration, according to the cabinet statement. It said the government planned to establish a Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence.

With a new administration in neighboring Syria, the statement said the Lebanese government believed it has an opportunity to start a serious dialogue aimed at controlling and demarcating the borders and working to resolve the issue of displaced Syrians in Lebanon.