Syria report - 10/17/2015

Syrian civilians helping Russian airstrikes target ISIS - Defense Ministry

RT,

17 October, 2015

Russian warplanes have bombed a training camp in Syria where foreign instructors trained potential suicide bombers, the Russian defense ministry said. It was one of 49 terrorist targets hit by the Russian Air Forces over the day.

“Not far from Salma in Latakia province, a Su-24M bomber delivered a strike at a building, which was used as a terrorist training ground. According to intelligence, there were ISIL foreign instructors, who were training people, including suicide bombers, for guerrilla warfare in areas liberated by the Syrian army,” ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

He added that the facility had its own explosives workshop, which was also destroyed by an airstrike.

Russian warplanes conducted 36 combat sorties on Saturday and attacked 49 militant targets in Syria, including command points, weapons workshops, firing positions, depots and fortified bunkers, Konashenkov dded.

The general said that the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS/ISIL), which suffered serious damage from Russian bombings, is working to rebuild its infrastructure.

“The militants' new tactics is to spread their supply and command facilities, but it does not work. All their new infrastructure objects are being identified and destroyed,” he said.

READ MORE: Russia offers US ‘broader cooperation’ in Syria, but Washington not ready – Defense Ministry

Konashenkov said the civilian population in the areas under terrorist group’s control are aiding the Russian airstrikes by providing intelligence about IS to the Syrian government.

“This information is double-checked by our aviation group with various technical means of reconnaissance. Following this, a decision is made on which objects we should target,” he said.

Russia is providing air support to Syrian government troops, which are currently undertaking an offensive to retake villages and cities captured by terrorist groups. Moscow says its goal is to stabilize the situation in the country enough to allow political dialogue between Damascus and moderate opposition to start.

Senior Al-Qaeda Leader, Two Associates Killed in Syria Airstrikes - Reports

A senior al-Qaeda terrorist group figure was killed alongside two associates in airstrikes over northern Syria, local media reported Saturday.

Sputnik,

17 October, 2015

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The FNA report said Syrian armed forces and Hezbollah fighters launched large-scale cleanup operations in Aleppo with backing from the Russian Aerospace Forces.

The operation allowed government forces to regain control of a number of towns and villages across the province.

"Saudi-born Sanafi al-Nasr, senior al-Qaeda leader and strategist, was killed in an airstrike in Aleppo province in Syria," sources were cited as saying by Iran’s FNA outlet.

Among the victims were another Saudi national and a Moroccan national.

The outlet said the Nusra Front, the militant group affiliated with al-Qaeda in Syria, released photographs of a car struck by an airstrike west of Aleppo and photographs of bodies not independently verified.

Nasr was said to have led the terrorist group’s so-called victory committee responsible for developing and implementing strategy and policies.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Gen.-Maj. Igor Konashenkov said earlier Russia's Su-25 aircraft destroyed two militants' tanks and five infantry fighting vehicles in Aleppo.

Islamist Rebels Issue Distress Call for Reinforcements in Southern Aleppo

The Islamist rebel factions from the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra”, Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Liwaa Suqour Al-Sham, and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) are being overwhelmed by the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division and Hezbollah on the ground in the Aleppo Governorate’s southern countryside, while the Russian Air Force relentlessly bombards their positions from above.

As a result of this powerful assault from the pro-government forces, the Islamist rebels have issued a distress call for reinforcements after the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division and the Lebanese Resistance entered the imperative town of Al-Shughaydilah; this is a serious issue for the Islamist rebels due to its proximity to Ahrar Al-Sham’s main base at the Scientific Research Facility (formerly the ICARDA Research Center).

According to social media activists from the Islamist rebel factions inside the Aleppo Governorate, their combatants are losing a lot of ground to the “Al-Assadi, Iranian, and Russian forces” at the entrance of Al-Hadhar; this prompted them to issue a distress call for reinforcements and TOW operators in order to forestall the advancing pro-government forces.

The rebel social media activists have also reported that a number of convoys from the Idlib Governorate have arrived to the town of Al-Hadhar; however, there is no way to confirm this news as of yet.

Russia: Countries Supplying MANPADS to Terrorists face Reprisals

Russian Foreign Ministry: Supplying terrorists in Syria with air defense systems will not be without consequences

by Manar al-Frieh/Manal

Veterans Today,

16 October, 2015

Moscow, SANA – Russian Foreign Ministry warned on Friday that supplying terrorists in Syria with man-portable air-defense systems will be deemed a direct support for terrorists and means that those who do it must face the consequences.

According to Russian News Agency TASS, Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said that no air defense systems have reached terrorists as of yet but information point to attempts by terrorists to acquire Western-made man-portable air-defense systems from countries neighboring Syria.

The Russian diplomat affirmed that in case such systems end up in terrorists’ hands, the country involved will have to be held to account for siding with international terrorism with all the attendant consequences this act implies. “This should be taken as a serious warning,” he dded.

US and other regional countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey are continuing their military support to terrorists in Syria which they dub “moderate opposition” to justify their support.

The Saudi regime had provided terrorists with large amounts of weapons and ammunition, most of them are US-made, according to terrorists’ pages on social media sites.

Sending Stingers to ISIL Would Mean West Siding With Terrorists – Moscow

If the terrorists in Syria obtain portable surface-to-air missiles Russia will view it as direct means of condoning terrorism and will bring the matter before the UN Security

Is this delayed reporting of something that occurred earlier or a new incident?

Report: Russia blocks Israeli jets over Lebanon

Lebanese newspaper claims Israeli jets turn back after confrontation with Russian aircraft over northern Lebanon.

YNet,

17 October, 2015

Russian forces warned Israel over IAF flights in Russian controlled airspace near the Syrian–Lebanese border area after Israeli jets were detected nearby, according to a report Friday in the Lebanese media outlet As Safir.

The report comes a mere day after Russia announced that it had established a "hotline" with Israel in order to coordinate aerial activity over Lebanon and Syria.

Russian fighter jet in Syria (Photo: EPA)

As Safir quoted Lebanese diplomatic officials who were "in the know," as saying that the warning was issued after Russian radar identified Israeli aircraft approaching Russian-controlled airspace two weeks ago.

"Russian aircraft immediately blocked the Israeli jets' path while they flew above the Akkar region in northern Lebanon. The Russians immediately sent a clear warning to the Israelis that entering Syrian airspace would be a pretext for opening fire," the source said.

According to the paper, which is considered loyal to Hezbollah, the Israeli aircraft quickly heeded the warnings and changed their course. The incident occurred mere days after talks were held between Israeli and Russian officials regarding the shared airspace. The report claimed that the Russian message instructed the Israelis to stay away from Syrian airspace.

Israeli F-16I (Photo: EPA)

Lebanese officials quoted in the report said that Israeli aircraft typically fly over northern Lebanon on a daily basis, "and tended to fly on a path above the Akkar region, later conducting reconnaissance in a circular pattern above the Lebanese territorial waters, eventually reaching the Syrian territorial waters."

The report quoted an official as saying that, "Their goal was to observe the movement of ships in the port of Tartus, as well as tracking the air traffic coming in an out of Latika airport – out of concern over possible weapons transfers to Hezbollah."

The same official claimed that the Lebanese army had noticed a decline in Israeli over flights since the warning was issued on the first of October, but clarified that flights in the area remained ongoing.

The view from the Guardian

Russia paves way for Assad regime’s Iranian-backed advance on Aleppo

Survivors of the regime’s barrel bombs are fleeing Syria’s second city in showdown between east and west

After many scares and several false starts, the crucial battle for Syria’s second biggest city has begun.

For more than a year the southern edges of rebel-held Aleppo have been a wasteland. Regime soldiers have been fixed in their positions several kilometres from the battered city limits, while rebels have shored up defences on their side of the ruins.

Now, three weeks into Russia’s intervention in the Syrian war, there is movement on one of the conflict’s most static fronts. And weary opposition forces don’t like what they are seeing.

From Britain's the Express

Russian Navy ready to WIPE OUT Islamic State militants at any moment, official reveals

THE Russian Navy is ready to attack the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group in Syria at any moment, an official has said.