Russia resumes military flights between Syria, Libya after five-month pause

Russian forces resumed on Monday military flights between Khmeimim Air Base in Syria and al-Khadim Air Base in eastern Libya, following a five-month suspension, Report informs via North Press Agency of Syria.

According to the Italian news agency Nova, a Russian Ilyushin Il-62M transport aircraft departed from al-Khadim Air Base toward Khmeimim Air Base in Syria's Latakia Governorate, which serves as Russia's main military hub in the Middle East.

The resumption of flights comes shortly after the visit of Syrian Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa to Moscow in mid-September, his first official trip to the Russian capital since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Military flights between the two bases had previously been suspended as Russia redirected its logistical operations toward direct routes from Moscow and Belarus to Cyrenaica, where it has significantly expanded its military presence since March.

Al-Khadim Air Base, located in the al-Marj region of Cyrenaica, roughly 100 kilometers east of Benghazi, functions as a logistical and technical hub for Russian forces supporting Khalifa Haftar, the commander accused of committing war crimes in Libya.