Russia Deployed Fighter Jets, Armored Vehicles In Two Northeastern Syria Airfields

An Su-24 taking off from Hmeimim air base in 2015. IMAGE: Russian Ministry of Defense

The Russian military had deployed large reinforcements in al-Qamishli Airport and al-Tabqah Air Base in Syria’s northeastern region, Naher Media reported on March 10.

“During the last few hours, Russian military reinforcements arrived at Tabqah and Qamishli airfields, including armored vehicles and fighter jets,” a brief report by the pro-opposition news outlet reads.

Al-Qamishli Airport is located in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah, right on the border line with Turkey. While the airport is held by Syrian government forces, most of the nearby town is controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

In the last few months, the Russian military deployed a large force and several fighter jets in the airport, de-facto turning it into its main air base in northeastern Syria.

Tabqah Air Base is located in the southern countryside of Raqqa. The SDF maintains tight control over the area. The Russian military also deployed a large, well-quipped force in the air base over the last few months.

The additional Russian fighter jets were likely deployed in al-Qamishli Airport as the runway of al-Tabqah Air Base is currently unusable.

The Russian military may have deployed reinforcements in al-Qamishli Airport and Tabqah Air Base to keep a close eye on Turkey’s proxies in northeastern Syria. A number of recent reports revealed plans to funnel Turkish-backed militants from Syria to Ukraine, where the Russian military is currently conducting a special military operation.

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