Contents tagged with Syria

  • Russia and Assad launch major air attacks against Idlib and Hama

    The Hama and Idlib provinces have been the target of at least 110 air attacks by Russian and Syrian government aircraft, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday 4 May. According to the London-based organization, at least 69 people have been killed since the start of this new escalation on 30 April.

    The new wave of violence in the region could jeopardize the Russian-Turkish agreement to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib. The agreement was reached in 2018 in the hopes …

  • Russian Khmeimim air base in Syria comes under attack

    Militants tried to fire at the Syrian Khmeimim air base where the airborne forces of the Russian Federation are based.

    According to the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in the Syrian Arab Republic, the attack of the militants holding positions in Qalaat Al-Mudiq and Bab-Atika was unsuccessful. The Russian military did not sustain any losses and there was no material damage to Khmeimim.

    Earlier, it was reported that the militants attempted to attack the air base with …

  • Putin simplifies process for residents of Syria and Afghanistan to obtain Russian passports

    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree simplifying the process for obtaining a Russian citizenship for the resident of several countries. The document is published on the Kremlin’s legal information website.

    Following the simplified procedure, citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and Syria will be able to apply for a Russian passport. The decree also extends to those born on the territory of the RSFSR, former citizens of the USSR, their children, spouses and relatives.

    In addition …

  • Russian media: Israeli tanks have entered Syria

    According to Russian state news agency Sputnik, Israeli tanks were spotted in the demilitarized zone between the Israeli and Syrian borders in the Golan Heights.

    According to Ali Hassan, a correspondent for the agency, Israeli tanks went past the Allon line, deep into the demilitarized zone approved by the UN in 1974 as a neutral territory bordering the separate forces after the Six-Day War.

    In response, Syrian units stationed on the other side of the neutral zone were put on maximum alert. …

  • Sailors of Russian Black Sea Fleet sue commanders for failure to pay daily allowance for work in Syria

    Sailors from three Black Sea Fleet ships filed a lawsuit in response to failure to pay of daily subsistence allowance for military operation participation in Syria, Kommersant newspaper reported, citing lawyer Alexander Fedorchenko.

    The daily allowance for officers is $62, for privates and sergeants - $43, but 70% of the total goes to food, the lawyer said. According to him, 27 sailors who filed a collective action, on average, expected to receive 200-300 thousand rubles ($3,134-$4,700). The …

  • Russian military clash with Iranian forces in Syria

    Two Russian servicemen were injured when the Russian military police stationed in Syria clashed with fighters of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The clash, according to the London-based Al-Araby publication, occurred near the city of Mayadin in the Deir ez-Zor province. The reason for the fighting was the detention of the Russian convoy at the Iranian checkpoint. Two Iranian soldiers were killed in the firefight that followed.

    Al-Araby reports that there have already been …

  • Russia to lease Syrian port of Tartus for 49 years

    Sometime next week, Russia will begin its 49 year lease of the sea port of Tartus in Syria for transport and economic use, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov told reporters on April 20 following a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

    In 2017, Russia and Syria signed an agreement on the deployment of a Russian navy logistics support center in Tartus for a term of 49 years. A similar agreement was reached about the RF “Hmeimim” air base in Latakia, Syria.

    “The key issue that will …

  • Israel may have used latest Rampage missiles in last Syria attack

    The Israeli Air Force may have used the latest Rampage air-launched ballistic missiles during its operation to destroy an Iranian center in Syria where surface-to-surface missiles supplied by Hezbollah were being stored.

    This theory was proposed by the military analyst Babak Taghvaee on Twitter. He claims that Israel resorted to using Rampage missiles out of fear of possible losses if Syria were to activate its S-300 aerial defense systems.

    "Israel Air Force successfully used Rampage for …

  • Israel attacks Syrian Masyaf despite Russian S-300 anti-aircraft systems

    Early morning on Saturday, April 13, the Israeli air force flew low over the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. According to the Lebanese news agency NNA, the flight was accompanied by a strong roar and frightened the sleeping population of the city. This happened after, according to the Syrian agency SANA, Israeli aircraft fired rockets at a military base near the city of Masyaf in the province of Hama. While hitting the targets in Syria, the Israeli military aircraft had been in Lebanese …

  • General involved in Russia's operation to annex Crimea to head Russian forces in Syria

    Russian Colonel General Andrey Serdyukov, who commanded the operation to seize Crimea in 2014, led the Russian military group in Syria, reports the Russian newspaper Kommersan" quoting its sources.

    The Russian Ministry of Defense has not officially commented regarding this information.

    According to Kommersant, Serdyukov was appointed as the commander of the Russian contingent in Syria on April 10, replacing Colonel General Sergei Surovikin, who commanded the military groups in Syria longer …