Summary
Satellite images show Russian warships missing from the Tartus naval base in Syria after rebel forces ousted Bashar Assad in a swift offensive, ending his 13-year rule.
Earlier images from December showed warships docking and leaving intermittently, but all vessels were gone by December 9.
The loss of Tartus and the nearby Khmeimim airbase, key to Russia’s military logistics, would be a significant blow.
Moscow has not confirmed its forces’ status.
The U.S. attributes Assad’s downfall to weakened support from Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah.
It’s closed to warships of nations who are at war. Technically, the US could sail a surface action group into the Black Sea, as the US is not recognized (by Turkey, under the Montreux Convention) as being “at war”.