Syrian President Bashar Assad's ouster has ended Iran's 40-year dominance and quest for hegemony in the region, further weakened his allies in Lebanon and created a new opportunity for establishing normal relations.

The images show new activity at the Hmeimim Air Base over the past few days as Russia's military footprint in Syria remains in limbo.

Russia has begun withdrawing a large amount of military equipment and troops from Syria following the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, according to two US officials and a western official familiar with the intelligence.

Israel said it had wiped out the vast majority of the Syrian military's assets, including huge chunks of its air-defense network.

Russia's military presence at two key bases in Syria fell into uncertainty after the Assad regime fell last weekend.

The transfer marks the end of an era when Russia played an arguably oversized role in determining which countries could operate in Syria’s contested airspace.

Syria’s new transitional government says there is no place for Russian presence in Syria a week after the country’s long-time President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown. The new government also says it is open to engage in contacts with all countries to pave Syria’s new future.

Two African states are frustrating Moscow's efforts to establish a stronger military presence in the continent following the fall of Assad.

Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes late Sunday on military positions in Syria's Latakia and Tartus provinces, according to information from an aircraft observation post. The attacks targeted several key sites in western Syria, including military bases and ammunition depots.

Losing Syrian military bases would hurt the Kremlin’s attempts to project power in the Middle East and Africa.

The toppling of Bashar Assad has raised tentative hopes that Syrians might live peacefully and as equals after a half century of authoritarian rule