Syrian defence officials peruse Russian military hardware during Damascus visit by Moscow delegation

The Syrian Ministry of Defence said on Thursday it held talks in Damascus with a Russian military delegation, headed by Rear Admiral Kornibenko Oleg Viktorovich, as the former foes look to collaborate on security issues. 

Brigadier General Yahya Bitar, director of training in the Syrian Air Force and Air Defence, received the delegation with senior officials from the artillery, air force, signals and armour branches.

Discussions focused on training programmes, maintenance, and boosting combat readiness, while Syrian defence officials inspected Russian military hardware, used unsuccessfully to defeat an anti-Assad uprising, led by a rebel force that now holds power in Damascus.

Russia played a key role in propping up the Syrian regime, killing thousands in air strikes on opposition towns, until rebels led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham overran the country in December 2024, resulting in Bashar Al-Assad's flight from the country to Moscow.

Despite being pitted in battle just months ago, Sharaa has attempted to mend ties with Moscow and spoken cordially about how Russia stepped back from launching a full-scale assault on rebel forces as they headed to Damascus from Aleppo.

The meeting followed a visit to Moscow on Wednesday by Syrian Army Chief of Staff Major General Ali al-Nu'man, who led an official defence ministry delegation. The ministry said the trip aimed to develop coordination mechanisms between the two sides.

In a symbolic gesture, defence ministry media chief Assem Ghlyoun posted a photo on Facebook alongside a Russian air defence system with the caption: "Today in Russia, and in the coming days in Syria."

Contacts have been steady in recent months.

In late July, Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani travelled to Moscow for high-level talks with Russian leaders. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said at the time that discussions over Russia’s military bases in Syria were ongoing, calling them a continuing factor of regional stability.

Analyst Rashid Hourani told The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that despite changes in Syria’s political landscape, long-standing reliance on Moscow remains significant. He said Russian weapons are still present in Syria, and cooperation revolves around maintaining air defence systems and training crews to operate newer models such as the Buk, delivered in 2010.

A long-time ally of deposed Bashar al-Assad, and his father Hafez before him, Russia intervened directly against Syrian rebels on behalf of the now deposed dictator in 2015, leading to a complex relationship with Syria's new government, comprised of former rebels and former members of the opposition. 

While Damascus engaged Moscow, a US-led coalition drone strike late Thursday hit a car on the road between Harem and Barisha in Idlib countryside, killing one person and wounding another. Field sources said the target was an Ansar al-Islam commander known as 'Abu al-Dardaa al-Irani', who is believed to be an Iranian national of Kurdish descent.

There was no immediate comment from the coalition.

Ansar al-Islam originated in Iraqi Kurdistan, with some members later joining the Islamic State group. By 2021 its strength was estimated at about 300 fighters, mainly Kurds. It was active in Latakia from 2014 and later joined Hurras al-Din in the 'Incite the Believers' operations room.

The group was declared dissolved in January 2025 after the fall of the Assad regime, but remnants continue to operate.

Researcher Abdul Rahman al-Haj described Ansar al-Islam as a small Salafi-jihadist group allied with Hurras al-Din. "It is part of a network that gathers remnants of other jihadist organisations," he said.

The strike was the latest in a series of coalition operations in northwestern Syria.

A week ago, a drone targeted a house in al-Tamanah, killing a man named Hashim Raslan. Earlier this month, two people died when a vehicle was hit near Aleppo International Airport.

In August, a US official told Reuters a senior Islamic State group figure considered a candidate to lead the group in Syria was killed in a coalition raid.