Syria: Armed group detain Suweida governor, Hmeimim air base attacked

A group of armed men in southern Syria briefly held hostage the governor of Suweida on Wednesday, after storming his office and demanding the release of an imprisoned associate.

Mustafa Bakkour was detained inside Suweida's town hall, where the perpetrators physically and verbally assaulted the local official, as well as confiscated his personal belongings.

Other employees and security guards were also detained during the ordeal, the information ministry said, demanding the release of a prisoner previously convicted of stealing vehicles.

Bakkour was eventually released by the hostage takers after Syrian authorities agreed to set free the prisoner, to ensure the safety of the governor.

Bakkour had previously pledged to intervene and mediate for the prisoner's release, but this was delayed due developments in the governorate, according to The New Arab’s Arabic-language site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The attack was condemned by Syria's director of public relations, who said that law enforcement and protecting security in the Suweida is an "irreversible option".

"We will not tolerate any attempt to destabilize security or undermine state institutions," the authority said.

Suweida has been hit by unrest in recent months, by criminal gangs and armed Druze groups, including clashes with government security forces.

One activist, Omar Halabi, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the incident "does not represent the morals of the people of Suweida".

"We are a society that relies on dialogue and reason, not weapons," he said.

"These outlaws must be held accountable before everyone so that calm can return to our region".

Another activist, Mohammed al-Ahmad said: "Individual actions should not devolve into chaos which threatens family security. The governor is the director of a state institution, and an attack on him is an attack on all the people of Suweida."

Suweida, a predominantly Druze province located in southern Syria, has been the site of recent heightened tensions, despite an agreement signed with the government earlier this month on security issues.

Several sectarian incidents have occurred between the Druze community and Syrian security forces and armed Sunni groups in recent months, following the fall of the Assad regime. with Israel blamed for inflaming tensions.

Hmeimim air base attacked

Elsewhere, two people were killed during an attack on the Russian air base of Hmeimim by armed militants on Tuesday, a Syrian government official confirmed on Wednesday.

The two militants were also killed during the incident.

The Syrian official said that it was unclear whether the two people killed at the base were Russian soldiers or Syrian contractors. No statement was provided by the Russian government about the incident.

According to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, a Russian channel said the militants stormed the military base, but Russian forces were "able to thwart the attempt after direct clashes with the attackers", adding that a third militant was also killed.

The Syrian official told The Associated Press that the assailants were foreign nationals who worked as military trainers at a naval college that was training members of the new government’s military. He said they had acted on their own and were not officially affiliated with any faction.

The Russian channel later claimed the attackers were from Uzbekistan and do "not recognise the current Syrian government".

Videos shared online showed black smoke rising from the airbase's vicinity, while gunfire and explosion sounds could also be heard in the distance.

Hmeimim remains under Russian control, however, there are questions about its future in the aftermath of Assad’s toppling, due to the former regime’s close ties with Moscow and its involvement in the Syrian civil war, when thousands of Syrians were killed in Russian airstrikes. Assad was also granted political asylum in Russia following his overthrow in December.

Despite this, the new Syrian leadership has maintained ties with Moscow and has not forced a complete exit of Russian military forces from bases in Syria.

UN envoy for Syria praises international lifting of sanctions

Meanwhile, the UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has welcomed the recent lifting of sanctions by the EU, UK, and US as "historical developments" during an address at the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

"I am briefing you from Damascus, where the atmosphere is ripe with cautious optimism and a yearning for renewal following far-reaching international moves on Syria," he said.

"[These developments] hold major potential to improve living conditions across the country and to support the Syrian political transition."

He also praised recent assistance from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey regarding energy and gas deals, as well as settling Damascus’s financial debts to international institutions, such as the IMF.

At the same time, Pedersen pointed out the challenges still facing Syrians, calling for continued comprehensive measures from the interim government.

He also praised the Syrian government's creation of the National Commission for Transitional Justice and the National Commission for Missing Persons, calling the move "another essential stepping-stone in Syria’s recovery from conflict and restoration of Syrians’ right to truth, justice and reparation".