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Less than a month after seizing power, Syria's new rulers are wasting no time in their effort to re-establish credible governance over the wartorn country, and are working on bringing back energy imports<\/a>, grain shipments<\/a>, banking institutions – and a coast guard. <\/p>\n After 13 years of civil war, Syria's government and military collapsed under an Islamist-led rebel assault in early December. Former President Bashar al-Assad – an accused war criminal – fled to seek asylum from Russia, his regime's longtime sponsor. Syria remains divided among warring factions, but its main population centers are now governed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization and a one-time supporter of Al-Qaeda. <\/p>\n Though HTS' views have moderated over the years, it is an avowed Islamist movement, and it is taking steps to reassure Syria's many ethnic and religious groups (and the international community) that it wants to set up a comparatively modern administration. It has kept many civilian officials from the previous regime, including former central bank deputy governor Maysaa Sabrine, a female economist who has been appointed to help restore the country's shattered finances – an unthinkable arrangement under Islamist extremist groups like the Taliban or the Islamic State, which both removed women from public life. <\/p>\n HTS' moves to assert administrative control include resurrecting Syria's coast guard. On Tuesday, Syria's interior ministry dispatched coast guard small-boat units to carry out a parade through the streets of Tartus and Latakia, the country's two main port cities. The first official reappearance of the nation's coast guard administration was captured by bystanders and posted to social media. Later imagery appears to show well-armed interdiction units operating the craft just off the coast. <\/p>\n ?Suriye'nin Tartus k?y?lar?nda Sahil Güvenlik ekipleri devriye faaliyetlerine ba?lad?.. pic.twitter.com\/HfsiRVZSni<\/a><\/p>\n — OpFlash (@opflashTR) January 8, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Suriye k?y?lar?n? koruma ve deniz operasyonlar?n? yeniden ba?latma yeteneklerini geli?tirmek için Tartus'taki Suriye Sahil Güvenli?i'ne askeri teçhizat ve tekneler geliyor. pic.twitter.com\/bmA6RIVzyy<\/a><\/p>\n — Mehmet Ard?ç ???????? (@MehmetArdic_) January 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Though new in appearance, the patrol boats date back to the Assad regime, according to Al-Araby, and are not part of any new foreign-assistance package. <\/p>\n As HTS strengthens its control of the ports, the Russian Navy – which has had a base at Tartus since the Cold War – appears to be losing its foothold. Long lines of military equipment are stacked at the pier,<\/a> the final outcome of troop withdrawals Russia ordered during HTS' assault on the capital. The berths, however, are empty of cargo ships or warships – and a Russian military freighter that was likely dispatched to evacuate the gear has been orbiting in a holding pattern off Tartus for days. <\/p>\n\n
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