Israel Aims For Iranian Targets With Strike Near Russia’s Hmeimim Air Base In Syria

Videos emerging online appear to show what is claimed to be Israeli attacks on or near Russia’s Hmeimim Air Base (also spelled Khmeimim) in Syria
. The strikes appear to be targeting Iranian shipments there. If true, it would likely be a major event in the escalating war between Israel
and Iran
with its allied proxies (including the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas groups). Hmeimim is located in the coastal Syrian region of Latakia and hosts a permanent Russian Air Force
garrison. The attack appears to be retaliation for

Iran’s attacks on Israel that targeted its airbases housing its valuable F-35 fighter jets
.

Israeli strikes Russian Hmeimim Air Base in Syria

Videos online appear to show Israel striking (or striking near) Russia’s Hmeimim Air Base in Syria. Both Syrian and Russian air defenses were active, but the targets were seen being struck again and again with major secondary explosions. The target is thought to have been Iranian munitions using the (perceived) safety of the Russian base as they were being transported to the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah.

The strikes are reported to have happened shortly after aircraft carrying munitions from Iran landed at the base. Israeli politicians have previously accused Russia of aiding Hamas. The Kyiv Post reported that the attack lasted 45 minutes, with Israel firing 30 missiles. Israel is variously suggested to have used its navy and air force in the attacks.

Fog of war

Defense Mirror reported the strikes were near the Russian airbase, implying that the strikes were not in it but in the nearby Syrian city of Jableh. Open source intelligence geolocated the footage to be in the direction of the air base.

At the time of writing, little can be verified, and it is unclear if any Russian aircraft were destroyed or what the Russian response will be (if any). This is a breaking story; more information is needed to draw definitive conclusions.

Iran’s 1st October missile attack on Israel

On 1st October, Iran launched a massive missile attack (reportedly 180 missiles) against Israel in retaliation for Israel killing the Hezbollah group leader, Hassan Nasrallah (as well as significantly degrading the group in a series of remarkable strikes – including with booby-trapped pagers).

The Iran missile attack targeted Israel’s Mossad headquarters and two air bases – Nevetim Air Force Base and Tel Nof Airbase (Israel’s F-35s
are based at Nevetim). Videos uploaded to social media appear to show Nevetim being struck multiple times by Iranian missiles. As Israel knew the attack was coming, it is likely most of its fighter jets
were airborne at the time of the impact.

Today, satellite imagery taken of the northern half of the airbase appears to show four impacts. Three appear to have caused little or no damage, while another destroyed a hangar. It is unclear if any aircraft were in the hangar at the time of the impact (

Israel was the first country to use the F-35 fighter jet in combat
).

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