The United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an airbase in Damascus as part of a broader effort to finalize a security pact between Syria and Israel, according to six sources familiar with the discussions. The move marks a significant shift in Syria's strategic alignment following the fall of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad last year and comes amid renewed U.S. engagement in the region.
The base, whose name and location have not been publicly disclosed at the request of U.S. officials, sits near territory expected to form part of a future demilitarized zone under the U.S.-brokered non-aggression arrangement. The agreement is being mediated by the Trump administration, with President Donald Trump scheduled to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, the first official visit by a Syrian head of state.
Reuters spoke with two Western officials, a Syrian defense official, and others with direct knowledge of preparations who confirmed that Washington intends to use the site to help monitor the potential Israel-Syria deal. A U.S. administration official said the United States is "constantly evaluating our necessary posture in Syria to effectively combat ISIS (Islamic State) and (we) do not comment on locations or possible locations of (where) forces operate."
A Western military official said the Pentagon accelerated planning over the last two months, conducting reconnaissance missions that concluded the runway was ready for immediate use. Syrian military sources said technical discussions have centered on logistics, surveillance, refueling and humanitarian operations, with Syria retaining "full sovereignty over the facility." One Syrian defense official said U.S. C-130 transport aircraft had already flown into the base to confirm the runway's condition. A security guard stationed at an entrance told Reuters that American aircraft were arriving as part of "tests."
The presence would mirror two other U.S. monitoring deployments in the region-one in Lebanon overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire and another in Israel monitoring a truce involving Hamas. The U.S. already maintains troops in northeastern Syria to support Kurdish-led forces combating ISIS; the Pentagon announced in April that it would reduce that presence to 1,000 personnel.
A person familiar with negotiations said the base was discussed during the visit of Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), to Damascus on September 12. A CENTCOM statement said Cooper and U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack met with Sharaa and thanked him for contributing to the fight against ISIS, saying those efforts could support Trump's "vision of a prosperous Middle East and a stable Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors." The statement did not reference Israel.
U.S. officials have been pressing Damascus to finalize the security pact before the end of the year, according to a Syrian source. Talks were initially expected to be announced at the United Nations General Assembly, but negotiations stalled.
