Putin asserts Middle East clout

Rare Damascus trip by Russian leader reinforces Moscow's strategic focus on region

Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, a rare visit by Putin to the capital of the war-torn country that experts see as Moscow reinforcing its role in Middle Eastern affairs.

Putin last visited Syria in 2017, when he went to Russia's Hmeymim air base and announced a scaling back in the Russian military presence in the country.

The latest visit came at a time of heightened tensions in the region, with the United States and its allies assessing the damage from Iranian missile attacks on US air bases in Iraq early on Wednesday. The strikes were Iran's retaliation for the killing of leading Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. Iran is Syria's main military ally in the civil war.

Putin visited the headquarters of the Russian Armed Forces unit in Syria upon his arrival. The Syrian president's office released a photograph of a smiling Putin as he shook hands with Assad. They were said to have listened to a military presentation by the head of the Russian forces in Syria.

"Here, in Syria, you are not only addressing the task of helping the Syrian people in liberating them from terrorist groups and gangs," Putin told the Russian troops. "Here, in Syria, you are also protecting your own homes, preventing fighters from infiltrating Russia and our neighboring states."

Putin and Assad discussed recent developments in the region and the plan to "eliminate terrorism" in Idlib Province, one of the last pieces of Syrian territory held by rebels, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

According to the SANA, the two leaders discussed the situation in northern Syria, and the actions taken by Turkey there with its deployment of troops. They expressed the will to back the political process in Syria and lay down the necessary conditions for it.

Accompanied by Assad, Putin visited the Old City of Damascus, including the eighth-century Umayyad Mosque and an ancient church.

Russia became involved in the Syrian conflict in 2015. Largely due to Russian air support, the Syrian government has effectively won the civil war, which has dragged on for almost nine years. The government has retaken control of most of the country from rebel fighters.

In recent weeks, Syrian troops have been pushing into northwestern Idlib, as the country's last rebel stronghold.

David Lesch, an expert on Syria, said Putin's visit was aimed at reinforcing the Russian position in Syria, "especially as Iran's position has been indelibly weakened since Soleimani had represented the Iranian influence in Syria".

The Iranian general was one of the key figures in Syria's civil war as the architect of his country's military operations in the Middle East, media reported.

Maxim Suchkov, a member of the Russian International Affairs Council, said the visit indicated that Moscow still intended to position itself as a broker in conflicts in the Middle East.

The visit has added significance given the current situation in Iraq and Syria, he said.

"The Russian president has kept mum on the regional escalations for over a week and now seems to have seized the moment by setting the stage to reassert Moscow as a key mediator and security provider for the region," Suchkov said.

Reuters contributed to this story.