Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Syria is under attack. Moscow calls attack ethnic cleansing
Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Syria is under attack reportedly by an armed group likely affiliated with the Ministries of Defense and Interior
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow is deeply concerned by what he said was ethnic cleansing being carried out by 'radical militant groups' in Syria.
The comments came as Syrian sources and Russian social media channels reported an apparent attack on one of the two military bases Moscow maintains in Syria.
'Radical militant groups are carrying out real ethnic cleansing, mass killings of people based on their nationality and religion,' Lavrov said, according to a transcript of his comments published on the Foreign Ministry website.
There was no indication as to what groups he was referring to in his speech to a reception to mark the last day of the Easter period for Orthodox Christians.
Russia, which maintains two military bases in Syria, was a key backer of the government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, who is now in Russia, where he was given asylum.
A March outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria's coastal northwest, which was an Assad stronghold, left hundreds of members of the former leader's Alawite sect dead.
Russia has attempted to maintain ties with Syria's new authorities, who have said that they may yet allow Moscow to retain use of the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base.
Security tensions raging
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 'security tensions are raging around the Russian Hmeimim airbase near the city of Jableh, following an attack launched by an armed group likely affiliated with the Ministries of Defense and Interior on the base. There is information that the group shot down a drone flying over the area, coinciding with the outbreak of clashes and the hearing of heavy gunfire in the area.'
In the same context, the area surrounding the airport is witnessing a widespread security alert, including the establishment of checkpoints and thorough inspections, amid anticipation and caution against any potential escalation.
On April 24, the Syrian Observatory monitored Russian air defenses shooting down two drones while engaging a group of targets in the skies over Jableh, coinciding with a mobilization of Russian forces in Syrian positions.
Reuters/ El Nashra
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nahar Net
19 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Three Alawites killed after attack on Syria government forces
by Naharnet Newsdesk 11 June 2025, 11:44 Three Alawite civilians were killed in western Syria overnight, hours after an attack on government forces killed at least one officer, a war monitor said on Wednesday. Syrian authorities said four civilians were targeted by unknown attackers in the Tal Kalakh area near the Lebanese border, killing two of them. Since an Islamist-led offensive toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, the Alawite community, which he hails from, has been repeatedly attacked. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the three civilians were killed in Baruha village by "local armed groups" who also set fire to shops and cars. The head of security in Homs province, Murhaf Naasan, said: "Four civilians were directly targeted by unknown people, killing two of them and critically wounding two others." The deaths comes hours after Syria's state-run SANA news agency reported that a security officer had been killed in an attack in the Tal Kalakh area. In March, sectarian massacres in the Alawite heartland on Syria's Mediterranean coast saw security forces and allied groups kill more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, according to the Observatory's figures. The Islamist-led government accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence by launching coordinated attacks on security forces. The government has since launched an inquiry.
Ya Libnan
21 hours ago
- Ya Libnan
US envoy warns of assassination risk for Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa
US Ambassador to Türkiye Thomas Barrack (L) shakes hands with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) during a meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye, May 24, 2025. (Turkish MFA) Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa faces significant risks as he pushes for inclusive governance and engagement with the West, with concerns growing that militant factions may target him for assassination. 'We need to coordinate a protection system around [Sharaa],' Ambassador Tom Barrack told Al-Monitor , highlighting the urgency of safeguarding the fragile new leadership. Barrack, Trump's top envoy for Syria, also warned that delays in economic relief and the integration of foreign fighters could fuel instability and violence in the war-torn country. Following Trump's surprising decision to lift all US sanctions on Syria after meeting Sharaa in Riyadh, Barrack confirmed there are no conditions tied to the relief—only expectations of transparency and reform. The administration seeks to support economic recovery, Kurdish forces' integration, and efforts against ISIS. Sanctions waivers will continue until Congress repeals the Caesar Act, with Trump expected to sign an executive order removing decades of Syria sanctions. Syria faces ongoing challenges from Israel's expanded military presence and control over buffer zones. Sharaa has pledged to honor the 1974 ceasefire and hinted at future normalization with Israel. Barrack hopes both sides maintain a 'silent understanding' to avoid further conflict. Internally, sectarian violence and revenge killings threaten stability, but Barrack credits Sharaa's government with managing these issues under difficult circumstances. TURKEY TODAY
MTV Lebanon
21 hours ago
- MTV Lebanon
Russia Attacks Kharkiv at Dawn Leaves Dead and Injuries Behind
A concentrated, nine-minute-long Russian drone attack on Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv in the middle of the night killed at least two people and injured 57, including seven children, regional officials said on Wednesday. The intense strikes with 17 drones sparked fires in 15 units of a five-storey apartment building and caused other damage in the city close to the Russian border, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. "There are direct hits on multi-storey buildings, private homes, playgrounds, enterprises and public transport," Terekhov said on the Telegram messaging app. "Apartments are burning, roofs are destroyed, cars are burnt, windows are broken." A Reuters witness saw emergency rescuers helping to carry people out of damaged buildings and administering care, while firefighters battled blazes in the dark. Nine of the injured, including a 2-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, have been hospitalised, Oleh Sinehubov, the governor of the broader Kharkiv region, said on Telegram. He added that the strikes hit also a city trolley bus depot and several residential buildings. The Ukrainian military said Russia had launched 85 drones overnight, 40 of which were shot down. It said nine drones were lost - a reference to the Ukrainian military using electronic warfare to redirect them - or they were drone simulators that did not carry warheads. "The main areas of the air strike are Kharkiv, Donetsk and Odesa regions," the military said on Telegram. There was no immediate comment from Russia. Kharkiv, in Ukraine's northeast, withstood Russia's full-scale advance in the early days of the war and has since been a frequent target of drone, missile, and guided aerial bomb assaults. The overnight attack followed Russia's two biggest assaults of the war on Ukraine this week, a part of intensified bombardments that Moscow said were retaliatory measures for Kyiv's recent attacks in Russia. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched on its smaller neighbour in February 2022. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.
