Syrian regime forces, in conjunction with Russian forces, are currently conducting military exercises along the coastal region opposite the city of Lattakia in western Syria. These exercises have been accompanied by reports of a drone attack and subsequent response.
According to sources cited by Al-Watan newspaper, the sounds of explosions heard in the sky of Lattakia since this morning are a result of the military exercises carried out by the regime forces.
However, the Nawras Center for Studies has confirmed that the Russian Hemeimeem base launched heavy rockets into the sea in response to a drone attack in the region’s airspace. They consider the regime’s claim about the exercises to be unsubstantiated.
On June 23rd, 2020, a series of explosions rocked the regime’s positions in the city of Jableh, located in the Lattakia countryside. Ground-based anti-aircraft fire was also reported at the Russian Hemeimeem base.
At that time, the regime’s SANA news agency published on all its official channels that “air defences had intercepted drones in the airspace of the Jableh area” in Lattakia countryside.
In recent months, there has been an increase in incidents involving Russian aircrafts intercepting American ones in Syrian airspace, as well as Russian aircraft flying over US bases in Syria.
On Friday, a senior U.S. defence official revealed that a Russian Antonov An-30 reconnaissance aircraft had repeatedly flown over the al-Tanf base and the surrounding area. This incident was significant because it involved an American base.
The U.S. official stated that a formal protest was lodged against Russia through the established deconfliction line in Syria, which Russia disregarded.
Both the U.S. and Russia maintain a military presence in Syria, with the US being part of the international coalition against ISIS, while Russia supports regime leader Bashar al-Assad.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
