US moves toward securing military foothold at Damascus airbase

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters
Today 15:39
1 Shares

The United States is preparing its first-ever military deployment in Damascus to support a proposed Syria-"Israel" security deal.

Listen

A US C-130 Hercules transport aircraft on display at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on June 18, 2025. The same model was used for runway testing and on-site evaluations at the Syrian airbase where the United States is preparing to deploy personnel. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The United States is preparing to position military personnel at an airbase in the Syrian capital as part of its efforts to finalize a security arrangement between Syria and "Israel", six individuals briefed on the initiative informed Reuters.

If implemented, the deployment would mark Washington’s first military presence in Damascus and signal a dramatic shift in Syria’s geopolitical orientation following the reported fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the country’s ongoing realignment under transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The move comes as Damascus simultaneously renegotiates older military agreements with Russia, following Moscow’s recent resumption of flights to the Hmeimim Air Base in Latakia after a six-month suspension. According to Syrian officials, both sides are reassessing the future of Russia’s installations, including Hmeimim and the Tartus naval port, in light of Syria’s new political landscape.

The base in question lies at a strategic entry point to southern regions expected to form a buffer zone under a proposed "non-aggression" agreement between Syria and "Israel" being steered by the Trump administration. The development coincides with heightened Israeli military activity along the southern frontier, where Israeli forces carried out multiple ground incursions in the Quneitra countryside this week. According to monitoring groups, October alone saw 40 Israeli incursions into Quneitra and Daraa, accompanied by aerial surveillance and new front-line fortifications along the occupied Golan.

Trump to host Syria’s new president

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, marking the first visit by a Syrian leader to Washington. The upcoming talks follow Washington’s decision earlier this year to lift most sanctions on Syria and encourage direct engagement with the new transitional government. US officials said the administration views Syria’s political shift as an opportunity to stabilize the region and advance ongoing negotiations, including potential Syrian-Israeli talks that US envoys have been pursuing for months.

Two Western officials, a Syrian defense source, and others familiar with ongoing preparations confirmed to Reuters that Washington intends to use the Damascus airbase as part of a "monitoring mechanism" for the anticipated deal.

A US administration official would only say that the United States is "constantly evaluating our necessary posture in Syria to effectively combat ISIS and (we) do not comment on locations or possible locations of (where) forces operate."

The official asked Reuters to withhold the name and coordinates of the base, citing operational security concerns, a request Reuters honored.

Runway inspected, missions conducted

According to a Western military source, the Pentagon has intensified planning over recent weeks, dispatching multiple teams to survey the airbase. These assessments determined that the runway is ready for immediate operations.

Two Syrian military officials said technical discussions have concentrated on the facility’s role in logistics, surveillance, refueling support, and humanitarian activity, while insisting that Syria would keep sovereignty over the site.

A Syrian defense official said US teams traveled to the base on C-130 aircraft to test the runway. A security guard stationed at one of the gates told Reuters that US aircraft had been conducting "tests."

No timeline has been set for the arrival of US personnel.

Model similar to US outposts monitoring regional truces

According to the report, the arrangement appears to resemble two recent US deployments set up to oversee ceasefire understandings in the region: one in Lebanon that tracks last year’s truce between Hezbollah and "Israel", and another that observes the agreement between Hamas and "Israel."

Washington already maintains occupation forces in northeastern Syria supporting the Kurdish SDF, and in April, the Pentagon announced that it would reduce its troop numbers there to 1,000.

Syrian President al-Sharaa has argued that any US military footprint must be approved in coordination with the current Syrian state, while US and Syrian officials have said that Damascus is expected to join the coalition battling ISIS.

CENTCOM visit and pressure for a deal

A source involved in the base negotiations said the topic was reviewed during a September 12 visit to Damascus by Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads US Central Command. The CENTCOM statement on that trip said Cooper and US envoy Thomas Barrack met with Sharaa and expressed appreciation for Syria’s contribution to the fight against ISIS, which they said could help fulfill Trump’s "vision of a prosperous Middle East and a stable Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors."

The statement made no mention of "Israel."

Washington has been working to broker a Syria-"Israel" security pact for months. A deal was expected to be unveiled at the UN General Assembly in September, but negotiations reportedly stalled.

A Syrian source familiar with the talks said the United States has been pushing Damascus to finalize the agreement before year’s end, potentially before Sharaa’s visit to Washington.