Five Drones Downed by Russian Military near Humeimim Air Base in Syria as UAV Attacks Increase

- Five more drones have been shot down by Russia’s Air Defense units near Humeimim Air Base in Syria in the last 24 hours, the military confirmed on Tuesday, adding that drone attacks by militants have intensified in recent weeks.

News ID: 71774

Date: 14 August 2018 - 14:01

TEHRAN (Defapress)_The objects were launched from the militant-controlled area in the Idlib de-escalation zone, according to the head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the opposing sides in Syria, Maj. Gen. Alexei Tsygankov, as cited by TASS.

The hostile unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was shot down not far from the base and the incident caused no injuries or damage, Tsygankov added.

Shooting down militant drones has become somewhat routine for the Russian military at Humeimim Air Base, located south-east of the port of Lattakia.

On Sunday the Russian military said it had repelled two drone attacks “at a safe distance from the base.” On Saturday a drone, apparently carrying explosives, was downed on approach to Humeimim, also from the militant-held de-escalation zone in Idlib.

Probably the most large-scale assault on Humeimim took place in January this year with at least 10 drones attacking the area. Three others targeted the Russian maritime logistics point in the city of Tartus. Many of those devices were downed by the Russian Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft weapon system.

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