Eurasia Press & News
Russia stepped foot in southern Syria for the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad almost a year ago. On November 17, a Russian military delegation traveled to the southern region, where they conducted “reconnaissance operations” in Quneitra Province, which borders the Golan Heights. The Russians were accompanied by a Syrian delegation from the Ministry of the Interior. The two delegations visited several locations in the province, including a site near the town of Beit Jinn, which used to host a Russian military post.
A source close to the Syrian government informed Israel’s Kan News that Russia had “submitted a proposal to Damascus for Russian patrols to return to the border area, to act as a separation force between Syrian and Israeli troops.”
Following the fall of Assad, Israel expanded its demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights to include some villages inside Syrian territory. In the past 11 months, Israeli troops have conducted raids into Syria and arrested suspected weapons smugglers and Hamas-linked terror cells.
Russia, Israel, and the Syrian government had a security agreement in 2017 in which Russian units manned checkpoints in the region as part of a de-escalation mechanism. This tour hints that a similar arrangement may be integrated into a broader Israeli-Syrian deal on southern Syria.
Israel Looks To Revive a Questionable Arrangement
Israel appears to welcome Russian involvement in Syria through security arrangements even though Iran-backed militias expanded their presence in southern Syria under Russia’s watch during the previous arrangement, from 2017 to 2024.
In February, Israeli officials reportedly lobbied Washington to preserve Russia’s military bases in western Syria, seeing Moscow as a counterbalance to Turkey’s growing influence over the new government in Damascus. Israel maintained a strong relationship with Russia throughout Moscow’s intervention to support the Assad regime in Syria’s long-running civil war.
Over the past few months, Israel has drawn clear red lines regarding Turkish military entrenchment and has even struck sites that the Turkish military was planning to use. Russia has never opposed Israeli strikes in Syria and is unlikely to object to an increase in Israeli operations going forward.
Many Reasons Not to Trust Russia
In 2017, President Donald Trump reached an agreement with Russia and Jordan to stabilize southern Syria, pledging to maintain a ceasefire between the Assad regime and anti-Assad rebel factions. The agreement necessitated the “reduction, and ultimate elimination, of foreign forces and foreign fighters from the area.” However, Russia did little to hold back Hezbollah and other Iran-backed factions supporting Assad. In fact, Hezbollah expanded its influence and military infrastructure in the area. Hezbollah was also able to move closer to the Golan Heights and created militias in the area that threatened Israel’s security.
The U.S. Should Push for an Israel-Syria Agreement Free of Russian or Turkish Interference
Israeli sources report that negotiations over a potential Israel-Syria security agreement have stalled, largely because Israel refuses to withdraw from its expanded zone of influence in southern Syria. The United States should work to continue these negotiations; a security agreement will help de-escalate tensions and create opportunities for both Syria and Israel to cooperate against shared threats like Hezbollah. Washington should also ensure that any talks remain strictly bilateral. Neither Russia nor Turkey should be involved: Moscow has already demonstrated its inability or lack of inclination to curb the rise of Iran-backed militias, while Ankara seeks military entrenchment inside Syria that could further threaten Israel.
