Israel's heavy strike on Syrian port disrupts Russian presence

Tartus is a deep-water port on the Mediterranean Sea. Russia's most significant strategic and geopolitical interest in Syria has been controlling this port. Despite this, Israel chose to attack the Syrian port on Sunday amidst the chaos following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The Israeli attack was confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) based in London. It was emphasized that this was the "heaviest attack" in this area in over a decade. Tartus is primarily inhabited by the Alawite population, from which the clan of the deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad originates.

"Israeli warplanes launched strikes targeting a series of sites including air defence units and "surface-to-surface missile depots," reported SOHR. Social media featured a video displaying a massive explosion.

The Times of Israel portal reported that the explosion was so powerful that seismic monitors recorded it as a 3.1-magnitude earthquake. Tartus and neighbouring Latakia are strategic military points and key commercial and industrial centres. For the new Syrian authorities, these maritime ports are crucial for the country's economy and security.

The Russians have already managed to move part of their fleet from Tartus port to sea and leave the Humaymim airbase. By early December 2024, with the advance of rebel forces displacing the Russian-backed Assad troops, Russian commanders decided to withdraw main units from the base and evacuate some personnel and equipment. Officially, they term this a strategic regrouping of forces. Russian diplomats are currently seeking an agreement with Syria's new authorities, aiming to maintain a minimal presence in the region and safeguard their interests.

For 50 years, Russia has managed Tartus with varying intensity. It initially established a naval base for warships, including submarines.

Tartus was used to receive Soviet weapons purchased by Syrians as early as the 1970s. Initially, the Russians rented part of the pier, but under agreements with the Syrian government, it was gradually developed into a fully functional naval base. Russia secured the right to use the port with a clever agreement in 2005, forgiving 73% of Syria's Soviet-era debt, as reported by Radio Free Europe. Following the outbreak of conflict in Syria in 2011, the base became the main logistical hub for weapons supplies to the Syrian regime and a rallying point for Russian forces.

As recently as 2019, Russia signed a lease agreement for the entire port for another 49 years, with plans to expand the docks. Numerous civilian units in the Tartus base were rented by the Russian Federation and served as the so-called Syria Express—supplying Russian troops and Assad's army with ammunition. However, these operations were suspended due to threats from Ukrainian drones in the Black Sea. They were replaced with air transport. Many of these units remain in the port and presumably be used to evacuate personnel and equipment, commented Jacek Tarociński, an analyst with the security and defence team at the Centre for Eastern Studies.

Since the fall of Assad's regime on December 8th, Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of attacks on military targets in Syria, destroying "most of the strategically important weapons stockpiles in the country," informed the Israeli army last week. The attacks were assessed to eliminate up to 90% of the surface-to-air missiles in the Syrian army's arsenal.