By bnm Gulf bureau Russian forces have begun withdrawing from Syria, with two cargo vessels, the Sparta II and Sparta, departing from the port of Tartus on January 30, carrying significant military equipment.

Russia has stepped up its military withdrawal from Syria, removing vehicles and containers from its key Tartous port on the country's Mediterranean coast, analysis by BBC Verify suggests. After the fall of the Assad regime in December,

A delegation from the Russian Foreign Ministry travelled to Damascus for talks with Syria's new leaders on Tuesday for the first time since the fall of long-time ruler and Moscow ally Bashar al-Assad.