On November 13 afternoon, a missile struck the western outskirts of the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib, which is occupied by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Local sources in the Syrian coast confirmed that the missile was launched from Russia’s Hmeimim Air Base located in southern Lattakia.
The missile was likely one of the types that can be launched from the Iskander missile complex, that is known to be deployed in Hmeimim Air Base. The complex can launch a variety of ballistic and cruise missiles.
سقوط صاروخ بالستي بعيد المدى أطلقته عصابات الأسد الطائفية على الأحياء السكنية في مدينة #إدلب المحررة pic.twitter.com/s5hFz7ZFE8
— أحمد الرامي (@AhmedAlRami1) November 13, 2020
صاروخ من البحر يستهدف مليشيات القاعدة بالقرب من السجن المركزي غربي إدلب . pic.twitter.com/EYnouyLC64
— ملك السلطنه (@jamlyyyyy) November 13, 2020
Late on October 23, two suspected Iskander missiles were launched from Hmeimim Air Base at fuel storage facilities operated by illegal traffickers in the Turkish-occupied part of northern Aleppo. The missile strike inflicted heavy human and material losses.
Following the missile strike, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a series of airstrikes on the same area in western Idlib.
There is still no information on the nature of the target or on the losses inflicted by the Russian strikes. The upcoming few hours may reveal new details.
HTS, which is allied to a number of other al-Qaeda-affiliated groups and Turkish-backed factions, maintains a tight grip on Greater Idlib. In the morning, a wave of Russian airstrikes targeted the southern part of the region.
