Russian Warplanes Targeted Turkish-Occupied Areas In Northeastern Syria With ‘Flash Bombs’

A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti

Warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces have carried out a series of mock airstrikes over Turkish-occupied areas in Syria’s northeastern region.

The mock airstrikes, which started late on May 25 and went on until the morning of the next day, targeted the outskirts of the town of Tell Abyad in the northern Raqqa countryside and the town of Ras al-Ain in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah. Local sources reported several loud explosions in the sky.

The FOTAB 100-80 flash bomb, which is designed to produce an instant intense bright flash, are usually used in such mock airstrikes. The bomb has a burning time of 2.2 to 3.5 minutes and a light intensity of 22,000 to 700,000 candlepower.

The mock airstrikes were likely meant as a message to the Turkish military and its proxies, who are reportedly preparing to launch a new large-scale operation against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern and northeastern Syria.

Speaking following a cabinet meeting on May 23, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara will launch an operation in Syria in order to link up two areas already under Turkish control in the country.

A new Turkish operation in northern and northeastern Syria would violate several de-escalation agreements with Russia, who maintains forces in most SDF-held areas. Such an operation could also trigger a direct confrontation with Damascus government forces.

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