Complex sentence: Tzimiskes, like Nikephoros Phokas, was more interested in the East, and as soon as the Rus' threat was banished and Bulgaria seemingly pacified, his attention turned to Syria.
Split into simpler sentences: Tzimiskes, like Nikephoros Phokas, was more interested in the East. As soon as the Rus' threat was banished and Bulgaria seemingly pacified, his attention turned to Syria.