Illustrative image.
Late on February 11, a loitering munition launched by Russian forces struck a fortified position of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) near the town of Kafr Nouran in the western countryside of Aleppo, which is a part of the Greater Idlib region.
Syrian opposition activists didn’t report any casualties as a result of the loitering munition strike, which caused some material loses.
The Russian strike was likely a response to recent violations of the ceasefire in Greater Idlib. HTS and its allies carried out several small-scale attacks in the last few days up leading to the strike.
A day earlier, a Lancet-3 loitering munition, made by Russia’s ZALA Aero Group, crashed near a position of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the western countryside of Aleppo. The munition was allegedly shot down by SAA soldiers in a friendly fire incident.
#Syria: another Rebel weaponized drone down, this time in W. #Aleppo countryside while trying to target pro-Assad forces. pic.twitter.com/K8CpnEEVKd
— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) February 10, 2022
The Lancet-3, which was likely used in the February 11 strike, has a range of 40 kilometers and an endurance of 40 minutes. The loitering munition is equipped with an optical system for target detection and tracking.
Russian forces have been using loitering munitions against militants in Greater Idlib for a few years. Last December, Russia-24 TV aired a report documenting recent loitering munition strikes in the region. Loitering munitions offer the capability to detect and engage targets located behind the line of sight with high precision on a short notice.
