(Headline article below) An interesting development. Syria was always about pipelines, and it appears there is a plan for the pipeline to get Saudi Arabian natural gas to Europe, and the plan for Qatar’s pipeline to Turkey supposedly not in the works. And look at Israel’s pipelines with there being a large amount of natural gas off the coast of Gaza, theorized as the whole reason for the war with Hamas and them being allowed to attack Israel. The big loser in how all this played out is Iran.
The United States is preparing to establish military presence at an air base in the Syrian capital, Damascus, Reuters reported on November 6.
The news agency spoke to six sources familiar with preparations at the base, including two Western officials and a Syrian defense official, who confirm the U.S. is planning to use the air base to help monitor a potential security agreement between Israel and Syria.
An official in the administration of President Donald Trump said that the U.S. is “constantly evaluating our necessary posture in Syria to effectively combat ISIS and do not comment on locations or possible locations of forces operate.”
The official in question asked Reuters that the name and location of the air base be removed for operational security reasons.
Meanwhile, a Western military official said that the Pentagon had accelerated its plans over the last two months with several reconnaissance missions to the base. Those missions concluded the base’s long runway was ready for immediate use.
Two Syrian military sources told the agency the technical talks have been focused on the use of the base for logistics, surveillance, refueling and humanitarian operations, while Syria would retain full sovereignty over the facility.
While Reuters didn’t name the air base, it quotes one Syrian defense official as saying that the U.S. had flown to the base in military C-130 transport aircraft to make sure the runway was usable. A security guard at one of the base’s entrances told the agency that American aircraft were landing there as part of “tests”.
This piece of information revealed that the facility is none other than Mezzeh Air Base located right to the southwest of Damascus, just under four kilometers away from the People’s Palace, the official residence of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
An MC-130-series special-mission aircraft of the U.S. Air Force was spotted landing at Mezzeh Air Base then taking off within minutes on October 2.
The air base was heavily damaged by a series of intense Israeli strikes following the fall of the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad last year. Its 2,517 meter-long runway survived, however. Most of Syria’s few surviving helicopters have been based there since then.
Right after its release, Reuters’ report was denied by an official from the Syrian Foreign Ministry, who deemed it “untrue” in a statement to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency.
“The current stage marks a transformation in the U.S. position towards direct engagement with the Syrian central government in Damascus, and towards supporting the country’s unity while rejecting any calls for partition,” the source said.
The source added that efforts are underway to transfer the partnerships and understandings that were previously urgent with “temporary entities” to Damascus, within the framework of joint political, military, and economic coordination.
It further noted that “Syria, in its new era, is steadily advancing toward consolidating stability and strengthening cooperation based on national sovereignty and mutual respect.”
Trump will meet Sharaa at the White House on November 10, the first such visit by a Syrian head of state. The country will reportedly sign an agreement to join the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition during the visit.
In preparations for the visit, the United Nations Security Council on November 6 voted in favor of a U.S. resolution to lift sanctions on al-Sharaa.
“[The Council] decides that Ahmed al-Sharaa…and [Interior Minister] Anas Hasan Khattab are delisted from the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” said the resolution, approved by 14 council members. China abstained.
While the emerging alliance between the U.S. and Syria is being framed as a necessary step to stabilize the country, contain Israel and counter ISIS, in reality, this alliance is mainly directed against Iran and its allies in the Middle East, especially in Lebanon and Iraq.
The U.S. growing presence in Syria could facilitate Israeli intelligence and military operations against both countries, as well as against Iran itself.