Russian weather presenter forecasts flawless conditions for airstrikes on Syria

A forecaster on a Russian state television news show has given a rosy outlook for the weather in Syria, saying it is ideal for flying fighter jets.

State-owned channel claims time to start air operations was especially chosen, keeping the weather under consideration.

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“Such conditions can be called ideal for carrying out military flights”, the presenter concludes, explaining that November’s weather is likely to hinder the visibility for Russian pilots and make operations slightly more complicated.

Russian jets have been used to fly more than 100 missions over the country since it was announced last week that Russia would join the fight against ISIS terrorism.

“October in Syria is an advantageous month for flights”, she said, according to a translation in the Guardian.

The forecast came after the same channel ran a similarly sunny forecast on Thursday after the first Russian strikes, promising stable meteorological conditions.

Russian military action in Syria, with which it has been allied since the 1950s, has put serious pressure on already-strained relations with the USA with allegations the Russian airforce has been targeting American-backed rebels instead of ISIL fighters. “Even in the USSR they didn’t get propaganda into the forecasts”, wrote reader Tatyana Karagova on the Novaya Gazeta opposition newspaper’s website.

“Now back to one of the biggest stories of the week”, a Rossiya 24 forecaster said.

The Syria airstrikes have eclipsed previous wall-to-wall coverage of the conflict in Ukraine.