US plans military base in Damascus to oversee Syria–Israel security deal
US to open its base in Damascus (photo: Getty Images)
The United States is preparing to deploy its forces at an airbase in Damascus to oversee a future security agreement between Syria and Israel. This will later become part of Washington's broader strategy following the change of power in Syria, Reuters reports.
Six sources familiar with the matter said that the United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an airbase in Damascus to help secure a security pact that Washington is arranging between Syria and Israel.
The US plans for a presence in the Syrian capital, which had not been reported previously, are said to signal a strategic realignment of Syria toward the United States after last year's fall of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran.
The base is located at the entrance to southern Syria, where a demilitarized zone is planned to be created as part of a non-aggression pact between Syria and Israel. This agreement is currently being negotiated with the mediation of the US President Donald Trump's administration.
According to the report, on Monday, Trump will hold a meeting at the White House with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa — this will be the first official visit of a Syrian leader to Washington.
According to six sources familiar with the situation, including two Western officials and a representative of the Syrian Defense Ministry, as reported to Reuters, the United States plans to use the airbase to monitor the future agreement between Damascus and Tel Aviv.
President of Syria to visit the White House for the first time
The leader of Syria will make an official visit to the White House for the first time in history.
However, as is known, Ahmad al-Sharaa is currently subject to UN sanctions, which include a travel ban. In this regard, the United States has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council to lift the sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar.
The UN Security Council's sanctions committee has already made exceptions for official visits on several occasions, so the Syrian president will likely still be able to visit the White House.
