There has been a mortar attack on Russia's Hmeimim air base in Syria. This is a bit surprising because it is heavily protected and was thought to be beyond the range of the rebel and al-Qaeda-linked groups operating in northwest Syria. The attack took place on New Year’s Eve but has only just been confirmed by the Russian ministry of defence.
The ministry was forced into making a statement by a report overnight from the Kommersant newspaper. The newspaper report said that seven planes and an ammunition depot were destroyed. It also identified the aircraft as four Sukhoi Su-24 bombers, two Sukhoi Su-35S fighter jets and an Antonov An-72 transport plane. Two servicemen were also killed.
It was the largest loss of military hardware since the Russians began their large-scale intervention in the Syrian war in autumn 2015.
The Hmeimim air base, pictured here preparing for a visit from Vladimir Putin
KREMLIN/REX FEATURES
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