Reuters revealed that the United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an air base in the Syrian capital, Damascus, to help enable a security agreement Washington is mediating between Syria and Israel.
On Thursday, November 6, the agency cited six unnamed sources, Syrian and Western, saying the base at the entrance to areas in southern Syria is expected to form part of a demilitarized zone under a non-aggression agreement between Israel and Syria.
According to sources described by Reuters as privy to preparations underway at the base, the United States plans to use the site to help monitor the potential agreement between Israel and Syria.
A Western military official said the Pentagon accelerated its plans over the past two months and carried out several reconnaissance missions to the base, concluding that the base’s long runway is ready for immediate use.
Two Syrian military sources explained that technical talks focused on using the base for logistical, reconnaissance, refueling, and humanitarian purposes, with Syria retaining full sovereignty over the facility.
An official at Syria’s Ministry of Defense said U.S. C-130 military transport aircraft landed at the base to verify the runway’s suitability for use.
Reuters also quoted a security guard at the base entrance as saying that U.S. aircraft had been landing there as part of “tests,” while it remains unclear when U.S. military personnel might be deployed to the site.
Enab Baladi contacted Syria’s Ministry of Defense for comment on the agency’s report, but had received no response as of the time of publication.
During Cooper’s visit
According to a person familiar with the talks regarding the base, the step was discussed during U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Adm. Brad Cooper’s visit to Damascus on September 12.
Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, met Cooper in Damascus, accompanied by the U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack.
According to the Presidency, al-Sharaa and Cooper discussed prospects for political and military cooperation in ways that serve shared interests and reinforce the foundations of security and stability in Syria and the region.
CENTCOM said on X that Cooper and Barrack thanked al-Sharaa for his support in confronting the Islamic State group in Syria, and affirmed that eliminating the group’s threat in Syria would reduce the risk of an attack on U.S. soil.
A U.S. administration official told Reuters that Washington constantly assesses the military posture it needs in Syria to ensure the effectiveness of efforts against the Islamic State group.
The official did not comment on possible locations for U.S. operations and asked that the base’s name and location not be disclosed for operational security reasons, according to Reuters.
Before al-Sharaa’s visit
Reuters indicated that the new U.S. plans are similar to two other recent U.S. military presences in the region that monitor cease-fire agreements.
The agency considered the previously undisclosed plans for a presence in the Syrian capital an indicator of Syria’s strategic repositioning toward the United States after the fall of the former regime.
Washington is working to broker a truce between Damascus and Tel Aviv, while the latter continues incursions into Syrian territory.
A Syrian source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that Washington is pressing Damascus to reach an agreement before the end of the year, and possibly before al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington.
Syrian President al-Sharaa is scheduled to meet his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, in Washington on Monday, November 10.
It will be the third meeting between al-Sharaa and Trump, the second visit by the current Syrian president to the United States, and the first visit by a Syrian president to Washington.
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