U.S. Prepares Presence at Damascus Airbase to Support Prospective Syria–Israel Security Deal

Overview

• Six sources told Reuters the Mezzeh/Mazzeh airbase near Damascus is being readied to help monitor a proposed non‑aggression arrangement and sits at the gateway to a planned demilitarized zone in southern Syria.
• Pentagon reconnaissance in recent months found the runway ready for use, with C‑130 landings conducted to verify conditions, though no timeline has been set for any U.S. troop arrival.
• Technical discussions focus on U.S. use of the site for logistics, surveillance, refueling and humanitarian operations, while Syrian authorities would retain full sovereignty over the facility.
• U.S. and Syrian officials say Damascus is close to joining the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, and the prospective role of Mezzeh featured in recent CENTCOM talks in the Syrian capital.
• The normalization push includes a UN Security Council decision to suspend sanctions on al‑Sharaa, even as Russia maintains military positions at Tartus and Hmeimim in western Syria.