Renewed Moscow-Damascus flights signal revival of ties after Assad's fall - analysis

A Syrian Airlines flight from Moscow arrived at Damascus International Airport on Sunday, August 16, the first civilian flight from Moscow since the fall of the Assad regime. This “marks the resumption of the carrier’s air services between Syria and Russia,” Syrian state media SANA said.

This is important and comes after Russia and Syria agreed to a deal that will lead to Syria returning to control two bases in northwestern Syria that had been run by the Russians.

A week ago, the Associated Press noted that “Russian forces in Syria will give up control of two strategic bases on the Mediterranean coast, which will be used as joint Russia-Syrian training centers under a new agreement between the two countries, Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday.”

Russia backed the Assad regime. Moscow was a key strategic ally of Syria for decades, going back to the Cold War.

When the Assad regime faced a rebellion in 2012 in the wake of the Arab Spring, the Russians came to support Assad. In 2015, Russia intervened militarily in Syria, sending aircraft and forces. As such, Russia’s backing of Assad became a symbol of the former regime’s brutality. It appears Russia used its intervention in Syria to test the international system and attempt to increase its clout.

In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia was therefore distracted from what was happening in Syria. Moscow assumed the Assad regime was secure after the regime made major gains in 2019. However, in November 2024, the Syrian rebels in Idlib launched a rapid offensive that led to the collapse of the regime. It was not clear how the new government in Damascus would get along with Russia. Some assumed that the new government would want to eject the Russians.

However, the new leadership in Syria has sought to find a path forward with Russia that doesn’t lead to antagonism. This has led Syrian officials and leaders to travel to Moscow.

The new agreement is clearly the fruit of this outreach and engagement. Syria has sought to have positive ties with most countries in the world. Most countries have embraced the new government of Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Final agreement on joint bases has yet to be reached

It remains unclear how the bases will be handled. AP reports that “under the new agreement between Damascus and Moscow, Syria will take control of the Hmeimem air base and the commercial berth at Tartus port as part of its civil administration. The military facilities at both sites will become “joint training” centers, the Foreign Ministry said.”

Meanwhile, SANA added details on the new flights. “Omar Hosari, director general of Syria’s Civil Aviation Authority, told SANA that the resumption of the route was part of broader efforts to rebuild Syrian Airlines’ regional and international presence,” SANA added.

“We are working to reconnect Syria with the world, launch more direct routes and provide wider travel options for citizens,” Hosari said. Syria’s strategy is to expand its airline network. Syria has received new flights from many countries over the last year. This has helped Syria reconnect with the region and Europe.

Syria continues to rebuild its international network

SANA added that “Hosari said Syrian Airlines is expected to resume services to several regional and international destinations in the coming period.” This means that the “expansion will also include new European destinations, which will be announced gradually as the airline continues to rebuild its international network.”

What matters now is that Syria and Russia are able to work together, and this will impact the region and also likely aid Syria’s need for support at the UN. Russia is a member of the UN Security Council. Syria has been working to end sanctions that were put on the former regime.

For Israel, this matters because some voices in Jerusalem see Syria as an enemy under its new government. Israel is one of the only countries in the world not to do outreach to the new government and seek to turn over a new leaf with Syria.

During the Assad regime, Israel sought to de-conflict with Russia in Syria and also maintain ties with Moscow regarding the situation in Syria. As Syria is now also working with Moscow, it is not clear how Israel will view this policy move.