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Russia repels militant drone attack on Hmeimim air base in Syria’s Latakia

This file picture shows Russian Su-30 fighter jets at the Hmeimim airbase near Syria's western coastal city of Latakia. (Photo by RIA Novosti news agency)

The Russian Defense Ministry’s Center for Syrian Reconciliation says its surface-to-air missile systems have managed to foil an attack by foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants against the country’s strategic Hmeimim air base in Syria's western coastal province of Latakia.

The center announced in a statement that militants positioned in the de-escalation zone of Syria's northwestern province of Idlib tried to attack the military facility on June 26, using two unmanned aerial vehicles.

The statement added that both drones were destroyed before they could launch an assault.

On May 20, the Russian Defense Ministry said militants from the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorist group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, had fired six missiles at Hmeimim air base at around 8 p.m. (1700 GMT) the previous day.

The statement added that Russian air defense systems destroyed all the projectiles before they could strike the site.

The Russian Defense Ministry further noted that multiple launch pads from where Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorists had fired the missiles at the air base were detected and destroyed.

The development came only two days after Syrian air defense systems thwarted a drone and missile attack on the Hmeimim air base.

Syria’s state-run television network reported at the time that foreign-backed militants positioned in Qardahah village, which overlooks the coastal town of Latakia, as well as Jablah district had fired the projectiles at the base.

Russia has been helping Syrian forces in ongoing battles across the conflict-plagued Arab country.

The Russian military assistance, which began in September 2015 at the official request of the Syrian government, has proved effective as Syrians continue to recapture key areas from Daesh and other foreign-backed terrorist groups across the country with the backing of Russian air cover.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.


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