The collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, a long-standing ally of Russia, has upended the Kremlin’s strategy across the Mediterranean and Africa. This shift is forcing Moscow to redirect its focus toward Libya as a potential new stronghold, according to experts.

Russia’s apparent fast-tracking of plans to establish a military hub in Libya could worsen that country’s protracted conflict.

Assad’s regime in Syria, a long-standing ally of Russia, has upended the Kremlin’s strategy across the Mediterranean and Africa. This shift is forcing Moscow to redirect its focus toward Libya as a potential new stronghold,

NATO needs a stronger focus on the south and Africa, Italy's prime minister told a news conference on Thursday, saying Russia might boost its presence in eastern Libya after the collapse of its allied regime in Syria.

PARIS: The fall of Russian ally Bashar Al Assad in Syria has disrupted the Kremlin’s strategy not only for the Mediterranean but also for Africa, pushing it to focus on Libya as a potential foothold, experts say.

Turkish Airlines is resuming flights to the Syrian capital, Damascus (DAM), and to Benghazi (BEN), Libya’s second city, from its Istanbul (IST) hub. The two destinations had featured on Turkish Airlines’ network in the past but were discontinued due to the military and political situation in both countries.

Assad’s spectacular defenestration last December, he has joined a growing list of fallen Middle Eastern despots: Reza Pahlavi of Iran, Gaddafi of Libya, Mubarak of Egypt, Saleh of Yemen, and Ben Ali of Tunisia,

Libya is struggling to recover from years of conflict that followed the 2011 uprising that ended Muammar Gaddafi’s four-decade rule. The country has since been split between the United Nations-recognised government of Dbeibah in Tripoli, which Turkey supports, and Haftar’s forces, backed by Russia, in the east.

Russia has lost a naval base after Syria ended an investment contract with Moscow, asserting its authority over the Tartus port.

A joint force of 5,000 troops from military-led neighbours Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali will soon deploy in their troubled central Sahel region, Niger's defence chief said on state television.

Here is a look at Arab Spring, anti-government protests that began in Tunisia in December 2010 and spread throughout the Middle East and Africa in 2011. Algeria January 4, 2011 – Protests begin, sparked by an increase in food prices.

After two weeks of waiting, the Russian ship Sparta received permission to dock at the Syrian port of Tartus. There, it is likely to be loaded with military equipment. The new Syrian authorities have imposed restrictions that may affect Russian military operations in the region.