Pentagon Describes Russia's Actions in Syria as 'Provocative'

Russian forces in Palmyra, east of Homs (AFP)
Russian forces in Palmyra, east of Homs (AFP)
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Pentagon Describes Russia's Actions in Syria as 'Provocative'

Russian forces in Palmyra, east of Homs (AFP)
Russian forces in Palmyra, east of Homs (AFP)

US military officials have expressed concern about the increased risk of confrontation between US and Russian forces in Syria.

The commander of US Central Command (Centcom), General Erik Kurilla, said in a statement that his regional forces seek to avoid any miscalculated steps that would lead to unnecessary conflict.

"We seek to avoid miscalculation or a set of actions that could lead to unnecessary conflict: that remains our goal," Kurilla said in a statement.

He described Russia's recent actions as "provocative and escalatory," referring to the recent raid on al-Tanf.

The Wall Street Journal quoted Pentagon officials as saying there were fears of a clash with the Russians, accusing the Russian forces of "significant increase in the provocation" this month.

A US military official said that Russia launched a raid on sites in al-Tanf region last Wednesday, near the US base, which manages a mission to train and advise local fighters to combat the resurgence of ISIS.

After Russia informed the US through a communications line that it was carrying out the operation in response to a supposed attack against Syrian government forces, its military aircraft struck "a combat outpost at the garrison," a US military official said.

The official explained that two Russian Su-35 and Su-24 aircraft hit a military site, and although the raid did not target US forces, officials expressed concern that the attack constituted a challenge to the mission of US forces in Syria.

The newspaper reported that Russia sent two Su-34 warplanes to the area where the US forces conducted a raid in northeastern Syria to "apprehend an ISIS bomb maker." However, it quickly withdrew them after US F-16 fighters headed to the area.

US officials also discussed other incidents in the past two weeks without revealing their details.

About 200 US soldiers are stationed at al-Tanf base, out of the 900 soldiers deployed in northeastern Syria.

Russia withdrew several of its forces and military equipment from Syria after it invaded Ukraine, and experts warn of the "vacuum" that Iran could exploit to replace it.

Russia has escalated its interventions in locations close to the deployment of US forces to ensure that it can still carry out military operations in more than one place at the same time.

In 2016, Russian warplanes bombed al-Tanf base after two US Navy F-18 planes on patrol in the area left to refuel. The base was empty of US forces at the time and several Syrian fighters were killed, whom Russia described as terrorists.

In 2017, Russia issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the US to withdraw its personnel from the base, but Washington refused, and nothing happened.

However, the most dangerous incident between the Russian and the US forces was in 2018, after fighters of the Russian "Wagner" group advanced to eastern Syria and fired at the US forces.

They ignored the warnings of the US army, which asked them to leave. US troops then launched an attack against Russian forces, killing "a few hundred," according to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The Russian military announced that it had nothing to do with the incident.



Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
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Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam led a high-level ministerial delegation to Syria on Monday for talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the most significant diplomatic visit between the two countries since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December.

"My visit to Damascus today aims to open a new page in the history of relations between the two countries, based on mutual respect, restoring trust, good neighborliness," Salam said in a statement on X.

At the center of discussions was implementing a March 28 agreement signed in Saudi Arabia by the Syrian and Lebanese defense ministers to demarcate land and sea borders and improve coordination on border security issues, Salam said in the statement.

The Lebanese-Syrian border witnessed deadly clashes earlier this year and years of unrest in the frontier regions, which have been plagued by weapons and illicit drug smuggling through illegal crossings.

During Monday’s meeting, Salam and Sharaa agreed to form a joint ministerial committee to oversee the implementation of the border agreement, close illegal crossings and suppress smuggling activity along the border.

The border area, especially near Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and Syria’s Qusayr region, has long been a corridor for illicit trade, arms trafficking, and the movement of fighters — including Hezbollah fighters who backed the Assad government during Syria’s 14-year civil war.

Hezbollah has been significantly weakened in its recent war with Israel and since Assad's ousting, it lost several key smuggling routes it once relied on for weapons transfers.

Lebanon also pressed Syria to provide clarity on the fate of thousands of Lebanese nationals who were forcibly disappeared or imprisoned in Syrian jails in the 1980s and 1990s, during Syria’s nearly 30-year military presence in Lebanon. Human rights groups have long documented the lack of accountability and transparency regarding these cases, with families of the missing holding regular demonstrations in Beirut demanding answers.

Syrian officials for their part raised the issue of Syrian nationals detained in Lebanese prisons, Salam said. Many of the detainees were arrested for illegal entry or alleged involvement in militant activity. Rights advocates in both countries have criticized the lack of due process in many of these cases and the poor conditions inside detention facilities.

Lebanon pledged to hand over people implicated in crimes committed by the Assad government and security forces, many of whom are believed to have fled to Lebanon after the government’s collapse, if found on Lebanese soil, a ministerial source told The Associated Press.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly comment.

In return, Lebanese officials requested the extradition of Syrians wanted in Lebanese courts for high-profile political assassinations, "most notably those involved in the bombing of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques, those convicted of assassinating President Bashir Gemayel, and other crimes for which the Assad regime is accused," Salam said.

For decades, Lebanon witnessed a long series of politically motivated assassinations targeting journalists, politicians and security officials, particularly those opposed to Syrian influence. The 2013 twin bombings of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques in Tripoli in northern Lebanon killed more than 40 people and intensified sectarian tensions already heightened by the spillover from the Syrian war.

Syria has never officially acknowledged involvement in any of Lebanon’s political assassinations.

Salam said he also pushed for renewed cooperation on the return of Syrian refugees.

Lebanese government officials estimate the country hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, of whom about 755,000 are officially registered with the UN refugee agency, or UNHCR, making it the country with the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.

While Lebanese authorities have long urged the international community to support large-scale repatriation efforts, human rights organizations have cautioned against forced returns, citing ongoing security concerns and a lack of guarantees in Syria.

Since the fall of Assad in December, an estimated 400,000 refugees have returned to Syria from neighboring countries, according to UNHCR, with about half of them coming from Lebanon, but many are hesitant to return because of the dire economic situation and fears of continuing instability in Syria.