Putin says all foreign troops should leave Syria after war

Russian president says his country’s forces will also withdraw from the country if asked

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that all foreign troops should leave Syria when the war is over, including Russian forces, if the Syrian government asks them to. Russia entered the Syrian civil war in 2015 to back its longtime ally President Bashar Assad, helping the government retake most of the territory held by rebels. Russia currently operates an air base and a naval base in Syria.

Russia announced last week that it would boost security measures in Syria following the downing of a Russian military plane by an S-200 missile, in a mistake that Moscow blamed on nearby Israeli planes. Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Putin in televised remarks that four S-300 launchers along with radars and support vehicles had been delivered to Syrian troops.

Both Israel and the US have protested the decision to supply Syria with the S-300, which could complicate ongoing Israeli efforts to keep Iran from deepening its military presence in Syria and to thwart the transfer of weapons in Syria to Hezbollah.