Russian ships still at Tartus base – Lavrov

Russian military has been conducting exercises in Mediterranean Sea, Foreign Minister has stressed

Russian ships did not leave the base in Tartus after jihadists’ surprise offensive against Syrian government, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

Rumors published in media might have been based on incorrect conclusions due to the exercises being conducted in the Mediterranean Sea, he added.

“Military exercises are being conducted in the Mediterranean Sea. Perhaps the satellite images were mistaken for something else,”  Lavrov commented on a question concerning conclusions based on satellite images. His comments were made on Sunday, after meeting with the Iranian and Turkish foreign ministers in Qatar.

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Iran, and Russia met in Doha on Saturday to discuss the lightning rebel advance in Syria.

Moscow intervened in the Syrian conflict in 2015, helping to inflict heavy defeats on numerous terrorist groups, most notably al-Nusra and the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). Russia maintains a significant military presence in the country and has bases in Hmeimim and Tartus.

The military exercises in question were held in early December. Russian Defense Ministry reported they would involve the Russian Navy and Aerospace Forces and would take place on December 1–3.

The militant group Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS), an offshoot of Jabhat al-Nusra, along with its allies, launched a surprise offensive against Syrian government forces last week, swiftly driving the Syrian Army from Aleppo and entering the cities of Hama and Homs on the road south to Damascus. The Syrian military has redeployed forces to threatened regions, with the support of Russian warplanes.

According to the Associated Press, terrorist elements apparently broke through these lines and reached the outskirts of Damascus on Saturday, marking the first time since 2015 that jihadists have encroached on the capital.

President Bashar Assad has vowed to “eliminate terrorists” who attacked the country and to punish their “sponsors and supporters,” amid media reports that militants received training from Ukrainian military intelligence.