Syria and Russia agree to convert Hmeimim and Tartus bases into joint training centers

Syria and Russia have signed a memorandum to convert Russia’s overseas Hmeimim airbase near Latakia and the Tartus naval facility into joint training centers. The deal, announced Aug. 9 by Syria’s SANA, is described as the most concrete restructuring of Russia’s overseas military footprint since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Dec. 2024. Under the agreement, both sites shift from active operational use to joint training centers within three months. Civilian facilities at the two locations transfer to Syrian control immediately. The negotiations reportedly took nearly 18 months, starting soon after Assad’s ouster, and involved repeated senior-level engagement: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Vladimir Putin twice since al-Sharaa took office, with military cooperation a key agenda item. Russia built Hmeimim in 2015 during its intervention to support Assad, while Tartus has long functioned as a Soviet-era naval supply and maintenance point that was later upgraded. After Assad’s fall, Syria’s new leadership had to recalibrate how to manage a foreign military presence deeply tied to the former regime. The three-month transition is ambitious and will require changes beyond signage, including logistics, command structures, and security protocols. For Syria, the move supports broader sovereignty goals and signals an effort to regain civilian control over strategically significant infrastructure.