Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Syria is under attack. Moscow calls attack ethnic cleansing
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
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