Report: Russia considered quitting Syria naval facility

Russia considered evacuating military personnel from Syria this summer but decided the situation was stable enough not to warrant the move, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a military source.

Any such evacuation could signal the Kremlin feared Syrian President Bashar Assad was in danger of falling to rebels fighting to oust him. The violence has killed 20,000 people since a crackdown on street protests began in March 2011. (Reuters)