Russia uses Iran’s air base to bomb Syria

Russian heavy bombers took off from an Iranian air base and struck rebel targets in Syria in a dramatic sign of the growing military relations between the two countries that are the main backers of the Syrian government.

The statement Tuesday by the Russian Defense Ministry carried by news agencies said long range Tu-22 bombers flew from Hamdan in northwest Iran and struck targets in Aleppo, Deir al-Zor and Idlib provinces linked to the Islamic State and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, which was once affiliated with al-Qaida, reports Washingtonpost.

While Russia has long supported the Syrian government with airstrikes conducted from Syrian air bases, the Tu-22 requires longer runways and flew from bases inside Russia. Using an Iranian base cut the bombers’ travel distance from 2,000 kilometers to 700.

Both Russia and Iran have long supported the government of Bashar Assad in Syria, but never before have Russian forces been based in Iran.

The move comes against a backdrop of Russia’s growing influence in the region with its aggressive support of Syria in its civil war, starting last year.

Iranian officials have not commented on the announcement, but the state news agency did carry an interview Tuesday with Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in which he stated that the two countries ‘enjoy strategic cooperation in the fight against terrorism in Syria and share their facilities and capacities to this end.’

In January, the two countries signed a military cooperation deal focused on training and fighting terrorism.

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimiar Putin’s top Mideast envoy arrived in Terhran to discuss bilateral ties. Russia has also requested the use of Iranian airspace to fire cruise missiles at rebel targets in Syria.