Satellite images seen on Tuesday showed that Russia had withdrawn its warships that had so far docked at the military port of Tartus.
The sudden Russian withdrawal can be explained in two ways, against the backdrop of Israeli attacks on Syrian warships docked in the same port.
The cooperation between Israel and Russia has been known for many years, with Israel warning Russia of future attacks in the country (according to foreign reports) in order to avoid harming Moscow's forces.
It is reasonable to assume that this time, too, Israel warned Russia that it was planning to attack the Syrian navy, with the port in question serving as a military base for the two female soldiers.
It is also in the interest of Russia, which supported the Assad regime against the rebels. Russia does not want the large number of Russian and Iranian weapons that Assad has accumulated to fall into the wrong hands, and will be directed in the future against the Russian forces still in the country.
It is also possible that Russia is afraid of the rebel forces themselves, and has chosen to withdraw its naval forces in order to avoid a frontal confrontation.
At this point, it is important to note that if Russia has withdrawn its ships to a distance of a few kilometers, there is currently no reason to think that Moscow is interested in completely leaving the country, which is currently controlled by jihadists.
* Kikar Hashabbat contributed to this article.
