Israeli military aircraft carried out a series of powerful airstrikes on military targets in the Syrian port city of Tartus, home to an important Russian naval base and ship repair facility, on the night of 15-16 December.

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.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described the recent strikes in Tartus as the “most powerful on Syria’s coastal region” since early 2012. Read also: FT details Russian withdrawal from Syria Tartus,

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.

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

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

A cargo vessel, Sparta, sent by Russia to evacuate its military equipment and weaponry from Syria, has broken down on the way and the Russian crew is adrift in the open waters near Portugal. Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) Quote: "The cargo vessel Sparta,

Russia used the air base in Hmeimim and naval base at Tartus to support Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s 13-year civil war. But now, Assad is gone.

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.

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

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.