Syria's army has assumed control of the al-Tanf military base in the country's south after US forces left the facility, Damascus said on February 12, describing the handover as a coordinated process between the two sides.

The Defence Ministry said in a statement that army units had moved into the base and secured its perimeter, with troops beginning to deploy along the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border triangle in the surrounding desert.

The takeover came a day after Reuters reported, citing two security sources, that US personnel had pulled out of al-Tanf and relocated to Jordan.

US forces established the base in 2016 alongside the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, operating it within a 55-kilometre deconfliction zone east of Homs at the point where Syria's borders meet those of Iraq and Jordan. It served as a hub for anti-ISIS operations and cross-border surveillance throughout its decade of operation.

Damascus said border guard units would formally take up positions across the area within days, though the ministry gave no figures on troop numbers, offered no timeline for the full transition and did not address whether any US equipment or shared arrangements would remain in place.

The US mission has shifted toward a cooperative model with the post-Assad administration, focusing on Operation Hawkeye Strike to conduct joint precision airstrikes against persistent ISIS remnants.

Syrian military sources told SANA that US forces had fully withdrawn from Al-Tanf, adding that Syrian security forces had moved to fill the vacuum.

One source said the withdrawal process had begun around 15 days ago and that coordination with coalition forces would continue from Jordan.

Al-Tanf had previously been targeted by drone attacks claimed by Iraqi armed factions before the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024.

No official US statement has yet confirmed the withdrawal or specified the number of troops involved.