Russian warships strike Islamic State targets with cruise missiles

Russia’s naval base in Syria is just south of Latakia, so it’s unsurprising to see they are keen to shore up defense of the area, and the Syrian military doubtless believes it has a better chance retaking al-Qaeda-run Idlib and the surrounding area, particularly with Russian help, in the near term than they do in retaking the vast territory held by ISIS.

Putin, by contrast, has a single proxy in Syria and a clear goal: keeping Assad in power.

While cruise missiles are traditionally used at the beginning of bombing campaigns to hit multiple high value targets simultaneously while avoiding radar detection and maintaining the element of surprise, Russia’s strikes did none of those things. Without that agreement, the official said, US pilots can not count on the Russians to fly under standard safety procedures.

Wednesday’s offensive in central Syria and the ensuing clashes with militants, including al-Qaida’s Syrian branch, was the first major ground fighting since Moscow began launching air raids in Syria last week.

Russia and the embattled Syrian regime launched coordinated attacks on Islamist factions in numerous towns in Hama and Idlib provinces in western Syria on Wednesday, with Syrian shelling being conducted in apparent concert with Russian airstrikes, according to an opposition observatory.

“Russia launched cruise missiles as part of Putin’s propaganda campaign to show Russian Federation as a modern military force able to strike targets from long distances”, said a USA intelligence official, who requested anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak on the record.

Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, went to Moscow in August with the message that Russian airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria were imperative, said the two senior officials, who were later briefed on the meeting.

“This will entail the defeat of fighters backed by the USA, and its coalition allies, leaving the only alternatives to Assad as the Islamic State and Jahbaat al-Nusra”.

The missiles, launched from a Russian flotilla in the Caspian Sea, travelled 1,400 kilometers (900 miles) over “unpopulated areas” to target militants, according to a Russian officer. But while the group has been the target of a few of its air strikes, it has no foothold in the areas of western Syria targeted in the attacks on Wednesday and Thursday. Iran had reportedly lobbied for Russian Federation to launch strikes in Syria on behalf of their mutual ally Bashar al-Assad, an effort that included a visit to Moscow from Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani in August.

Russia’s warplanes made about 20 sorties and hit 12 Islamic State targets in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Securing the coastal province has emerged as a major objective of the Russian air offensive that began on September 30 in support of government forces.

The Observatory and other activists said a military helicopter was downed in Kfar Nabouda, in northern Hama.

That region has been under discussion between the United States and Turkey as a possible protected area where rebels can regroup and refugees can gather.

Russian warplanes violated Turkey’s borders twice over the weekend, drawing strong protests from Turkey’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Moscow’s military action in Syria is endangering trade ties with his country, saying Ankara could look elsewhere for gas supplies and cancel the construction of its first nuclear power plant, which is being built by Russian Federation.