Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes battled insurgents in central Syria on Wednesday in the first major ground fighting since Moscow began launching air raids on militants last week, activists said.
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The cruise missile attack in Syria was part of an expanding Russian military campaign that has deepened the divide between Moscow and Washington over how to approach the Syrian civil war and the presence there of Islamic State fighters.
The targets were about about 1,500 kilometers from the Russian flotilla of four warships that launched the missiles, Shoigu said. The missiles-Russia’s new SSN-30A Kalibr which can be equipped with both nuclear and conventional warheads-traveled 900 miles from the Caspian Sea over Iranian and Iraqi airspace before hitting mostly non-ISIS targets in Syria.
APPHOTO MOSB106: In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site, Wednesday, October 7, 2015, a Russian navy ship launches a cruise missile in the Caspian Sea.
Russia’s Defence Ministry declined to comment on the reports on Thursday.
It is feared that Moscow is helping President Bashar al-Assad weaken anti-government rebels under the guise that it is predominantly attacking Isis, which has claimed swathes of the war-torn country since last summer.
It is not clear yet why these particular weapons were chosen in preference to air strikes – but the missiles would have had to fly a considerable distance over Iran and then Iraq to reach Syria.
“The Russians helped plow the fields of Iran”, one official said.
Russian Federation says it is fighting Islamic State in Syria.
SANA writes the airstrikes of Russian Federation and Syria targeted Al Baby, eastern Aleppo Province city that has been held by Islamic State for long.
The officials told CNN that a few buildings have been damaged, and civilian causalities were reported in the crash.
“I cannot say anything, but any professional in this field knows that in carrying out such operations, you always find the image of the target before and after the impact”, continued the defense.
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However, Russian Federation admitted making a mistake after its warplanes violated Turkey’s airspace and Ankara appears to have accepted the explanation, saying there is no ill feeling between the two states.
