Russia restores nine military sites in southern Syria PHOTO

Moscow has begun redeploying its forces in southern Syria, rehabilitating nine military facilities in Quneitra governorate near the Golan Heights following an extensive field visit by a senior Russian military delegation on November 17.

The delegation included officers from Russian military commands operating in Syria, accompanied by representatives from the Syrian Ministry of Defense, Caliber.Az reports, citing Syria.tv.

They inspected positions from which Russian troops had previously withdrawn during a transitional period after the fall of the regime of the ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian leadership decided to redeploy its forces to nine rural sites in Quneitra and Deraa, the same locations from which troops had withdrawn following Assad’s regime collapse.

Implementation of the redeployment is expected to begin in the coming weeks, with gradual announcements on the reopening of the sites planned before the end of the year.

Russia’s return to Quneitra comes amid a reshuffling of military influence in Syria, particularly along the southern border, to prevent any vacuum that local or regional actors could exploit, according to The Cradle.

Moscow, political analysts say, aims to protect its strategic presence in Syria, especially at the Tartus naval base and Hmeimim airbase on the Syrian coast.

Western reports indicate that Israel is pushing to keep a Russian presence in Syria to balance Turkish influence.

Reuters previously reported that Israel presses the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralized, and to allow Russia to maintain its bases there.

By Jeyhun Aghazada