IMAGE: Marina Lystseva/TASS
The Russian military on April 26 foiled yet another attempt to target Khmeimim Air Base on the Syrian coast with drones.
Videos posted to social networks showed what appears to be an explosive-packed drone being shot down by a patrol of Russian Mi-8AMTSh and Ka-52 attack helicopters over the city of Jableh, which is located a few kilometers to the southwest of Khmeimim.
Khmeimim, which is mainly run by the Russian Aerospace Forces, is considered the main headquarters of the Russian military group operating in Syria. Another base operated by the Russian Navy is located at the port of Tartus, further south along the coast. The forces of the Syrian interim government control both areas.
Russian forces are also at al-Qamishli Airport in the northeast of the country, although that region is controlled by Kurdish forces.
Shortly after the fall of the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad, reports of attempts to target the Russian bases on the coast began to emerge.
The attacks intensified last March following a brutal government crackdown on the coast that claimed the lives of more than 1,600 civilians, mostly members of the Alawite religious group that makes up the majority of the region’s population. During the killing spree, some 10,000 civilians took shelter at Khmeimim.
Russian forces expanded their control around Khmeimim after the crackdown, entering at least three nearby towns to secure the air base. Furthermore, Russian helicopters began to conduct near-daily patrols over most of the coast earlier this week.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the repeated drone attacks on Russian bases, which reflects the poor security situation on the coast.
While Russia and the Syrian government maintain high levels of communications, an agreement on the future of Russian bases is yet to be reached.
Director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin told TASS earlier this week that he had held a constructive meeting with a representative of Syria’s new security agencies. It is unclear however if the security of Russian bases on the coast was discussed.
It’s worth noting that the SVR warned after the fall of the Assad regime that the United States and British intelligence services were preparing “terrorist acts” against Russian bases in Syria, including the use of drones.
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we can evict russia from syria at any moment we want…heheheh