The Impact of Soviet Foreign Policy on Syria and Its Role in Shaping Syria's Conflicts, 1955–1991
EXAMPLES OF ARCHIVE DOCUMENTS
Exchange of telegrams between the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, V. M. Molotov, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Republic, Jemil Mardam Bey, regarding the establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Syria and the exchange of envoys.
July 21, 1944
Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Draft instructions from the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Soviet Ambassador in Syria regarding the Soviet leadership's readiness to receive Syrian President Hafez al-Assad for an official visit to Moscow.
March 15, 1974
Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Letter of gratitude from Syrian President Hafez al-Assad to Leonid Brezhnev on the occasion of Syria’s National Holiday – Evacuation Day, marking the withdrawal of foreign troops from Syria.
April 24, 1976
Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Statistical data
From defensive to offensive tactics in the Syrian wars (1967 - 1974)
The Syrian Army's Entry into Lebanon (1976)
On April 13, 1975, the Lebanese Civil War began.
The Lebanese president Suleiman Kabalan Frangieh subsequently requested Syrian military intervention.
Credit: Francoise De Mulder/Roger Viollet via Getty Images (1976)
On June 1, 1976, The Syrian army enters Lebanon.
Credit: Alaraby TV (1976)
The agreement "Friendship and Cooperation" (1980) Between the Soviet Union and Syria
Syrian President Hafez al-Assad’s visit to Moscow took place from October 8 to 10, 1980. After a state reception at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport, representatives from both countries proceeded directly to the Kremlin, where they signed a pivotal agreement during a critical and unstable period in the Middle East. The agreement, titled "Friendship and Cooperation," was signed between the So
The agreement includes Article 6, which outlines security and military provisions between the two countries. Article 6 stipulates that, in the event of a situation threatening the peace and security of either country, the top representatives of both nations must immediately communicate to cooperate, neutralize the emerging threat, and restore peace in the affected country. This Article 6 would hav
Original Signatures of Leonid Brezhnev and Hafez al-Assad.
Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
The Soviet Union's Operation "Kavkaz-2" in Syria (1982–1984)
"For the first time Syria was not afraid to lift its hand against the US", Soviet general G. Yashkin
In the summer of 1982, Israel launched military operations in neighboring Lebanon. Jerusalem named the operation "Peace for Galilee." On June 4, the Israeli leadership approved a plan for an airstrike on Lebanese targets. On June 6, 1982, Israeli forces crossed the Lebanese border, marking the beginning of the war between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
At the same time, the Syrian Army had been present in Lebanon since 1976. Additionally, Syria, a long-standing ally of the USSR in the region, provided direct support to the PLO during the conflict.
By the time of Israel's invasion of Lebanon, a military assistance agreement was in place between Moscow and Damascus under the "Friendship and Cooperation" treaty of 1980, specifically Article 6. The decision for direct Soviet military involvement was made in October 1982 during negotiations in Moscow between Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and Politburo member Yuri Andropov.
Operation "Kavkaz-2" was a Soviet military deployment in Syria from October 1982 to July 1984, following negotiations between Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and Soviet Politburo member Yuri Andropov. In January 1983, 8,000 Soviet troops, including air defense regiments with advanced S-200 systems, were sent to Syria, were positioned in the areas of Doumeira and Homs, after which Israel imposed a 200-kilometer no-fly zone around the Soviet air defense systems.
The S-200 system was among the most advanced and effective air defense systems of its time, with a range of over 180 km, capable of targeting enemy aircraft as they approached Syrian airspace. Since these systems were operated by Soviet military specialists, their presence restricted Israeli military options—Tel Aviv sought to avoid escalating the conflict with the PLO and Syria into a direct confrontation with the powerful Soviet Union.
In December 1983, the US, British, French, and Italian navies imposed a blockade along the Lebanese coast. NATO warships began shelling the positions of these militias, as well as Syrian troops defending the Beirut-Damascus highway.
A month earlier, in November 1983, US aircraft had struck Syrian positions in the Bekaa Valley. In response, the Syrian army launched counterattacks against the US naval forces.
On December 4, 1983, Soviet-operated air defenses shot down:
- An A-7 Corsair II
- An A-6 Intruder attack aircraft
This marked the first combat losses suffered by US Navy carrier-based aircraft in nearly a decade, since the Vietnam War.
Active combat operations continued for six days, during which Soviet air defense units shot down:
- 9 American aircraft
- 4 Israeli aircraft
- 2 French aircraft
Additionally, Israel lost another 4 aircraft in aerial battles with Syrian forces.
By early 1984, following the withdrawal of international peacekeepers from Lebanon. In July 1984, the Soviet Union withdrew its troops from Syria but continued to provide military advice and support through advisers stationed in Syria.
The S-200 systems were deployed in the Homs and Doumeirah (Syria) during the "Kavkaz-2" operation.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the deterioration of its relations with Syria (1985 - 1991)
March 11, 1985 – Mikhail Gorbachev is elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
December 25, 1991 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union. Mikhail Gorbachev resigns, officially dissolving the USSR.
In the aftermath, Syria shifts its foreign policy toward improving relations with the United States, forming an inter-Arab alliance centered on Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Syria, and e