Syria's new ruling administration has cancelled a contract with a Russian firm to manage and operate the country's Tartous port that was signed under former President Bashar al-Assad, according to three Syrian businessmen and media reports.

Assad, the Russian-backed dictator of Syria, has led to Russia needing to evacuate its military presence from the country. To achieve this, in addition to airlifting the most valuable equipment, Russia has dispatched ships to Syria to remove the remaining assets.

Assad, the Russian-backed dictator of Syria, has led to Russia needing to evacuate its military contingent from the country. To accomplish this, Russia has sent ships to Syria to evacuate the remaining equipment along with airlifting the most valuable equipment.