Particle: U.S. Prepares Presence at Damascus Airbase to Support Prospective Syria

Overview

Six sources told Reuters the Mezzeh/Mazzeh airbase near Damascus is being readied to help monitor a proposed non‑aggression arrangement and sits at the gateway to a planned demilitarized zone in southern Syria.
Pentagon reconnaissance in recent months found the runway ready for use, with C‑130 landings conducted to verify conditions, though no timeline has been set for any U.S. troop arrival.
Technical discussions focus on U.S. use of the site for logistics, surveillance, refueling and humanitarian operations, while Syrian authorities would retain full sovereignty over the facility.
U.S. and Syrian officials say Damascus is close to joining the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, and the prospective role of Mezzeh featured in recent CENTCOM talks in the Syrian capital.
The normalization push includes a UN Security Council decision to suspend sanctions on al‑Sharaa, even as Russia maintains military positions at Tartus and Hmeimim in western Syria.