Russia Planning Mega-infrastructure Projects in Syria

Russia is planning to modernize an existing port and construct a new one in Tartus, Syria, in addition to building a railway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. The projects, which will cost hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars, were announced on Tuesday by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov after he met with Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. Moscow, which in 2015 intervened militarily in Syria in support of the Assad regime, maintains a naval base in Tartus – its only one in the Middle East – and developing the area is expected to enhance its regional influence. According to reports, Russia two years ago forged a deal with Damascus extending its lease on Tartus for a half-century and allowing the Russian navy to dock up to 11 warships along the Syrian coast, including those that can be outfitted with nuclear weapons. The latest news has been met with concern in Israel, which has waged a yearslong bombing campaign to prevent Iran from smuggling weapons through Iraq and Syria to Hizbullah in Lebanon. Jerusalem believes that Moscow’s plans could facilitate Iranian arms transfers by creating new avenues that cannot be targeted by the Israel Defense Forces without risking a confrontation with Russia.