In Syria

[Roman Alymov]

Russian AF excercises in Mediterranian (including deployment of Mig-31s redesigned to launcj Kinzhal missiles). See pilots using construction ladders to climb into the cabin, not standard ones - indicating redeployment was on short notice (probably following the fashion of unplanned excercises typical for Rus Army in last years) 

 

During the exercises, the automated control systems of naval aviation will be tested in conditions as close as possible to the real combat situation, sources in the Ministry of Defense told Izvestia

At the beginning of the maneuvers, the Russian Navy and the VKS will work out combined actions in the Mediterranean Sea of hypersonic weapons carriers, aircraft, ships, submarines and Bastion coastal missile systems. Izvestia writes about this on Sunday, recalling that for the first time in history, MiG-31K aircraft, Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and a powerful grouping of ships of the Black Sea Fleet were sent to Syria for this purpose. During the exercises, the automated control systems of naval aviation will be tested in conditions as close as possible to the real combat situation. "One of its tasks will be to transfer target designation data from aircraft and ships to missile carriers, including MiG-31K with hypersonic Daggers," sources in the Ministry of Defense told Izvestia. According to them, these latest ammunition can destroy enemy tracked objects from a distance of hundreds of kilometers in minutes.

"A likely" sparring partner " at the exercises of the Russian forces will be the strike group of the British Navy led by the flagship aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, located near the bases of the Russian Federation," the publication notes.

Yandex-translation from https://www.bfm.ru/news/475355

[BansheeOne]

Quote

Date 28.06.2021

US carries out airstrikes in Iraq, Syria targeting Iran-backed militias

Iran-backed militias have been using facilities targeted by the airstrikes to launch drone attacks against US interests in Iraq, the Pentagon says.

The US military carried out airstrikes on "facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups" near the border between Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon announced on Sunday.

The militias were using the facilities to carry out attacks by "unmanned aerial vehicles" — otherwise known as drones — against US interests in Iraq, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement.

Two facilities were based in Syria and one was based in Iraq, "both of which lie close to the border between those countries," Kirby added.

The facilities targeted were used by Iran-backed militia including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

[...]

US strikes to 'deter' attacks on US interests

Since the start of the year, there have been more than 40 attacks against US interests in Iraq, where 2,500 American troops are deployed as part of an international coalition to fight the so-called "Islamic State" extremist group.

The vast majority have been bombs against logistics convoys as well as 14 rocket attacks.

Two US officials, speaking to Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity, said Iran-backed militias carried out at least five drone attacks against facilities used by US and coalition personnel in Iraq since April.

Pro-Iran factions unhappy about Washington's presence in the country have claimed responsibility for some of them.

"Given the ongoing series of attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting US interests in Iraq, the president [Joe Biden] directed further military action to disrupt and deter such attacks," Kirby said.

Sunday's strikes mark the second time Biden has ordered retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militia since taking office five months ago.

Biden last ordered limited strikes in Syria in February in response to rocket attacks in Iraq.

https://www.dw.com/en/us-carries-out-airstrikes-in-iraq-syria-targeting-iran-backed-militias/a-58070737

[JasonJ]

Seems like those Bradley's still in northeast Syria and have been doing patrols the whole time once in a while.

https://npasyria.com/en/53587/

https://npasyria.com/en/53683/

https://shafaq.com/en/Kurdistan/US-and-Russian-forces-conduct-patrols-in-North-Syria

https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/russian-troops-block-us-patrol-northern-syria

https://npasyria.com/en/62779/

https://npasyria.com/en/64045/

[glenn239]

Surely the lesson from A-stan is that a light footprint in Syria is better than leaving the place to ISIS?

Edited August 28, 2021 by glenn239

[Simon Tan]

If the Murricans left, the SAA would move in. Long term, permanent solution.

[glenn239]

Agreed, that should work.

[Simon Tan]

If they get their act together, they can even take all their toys with them.

[Colin]

On 8/28/2021 at 10:15 AM, Simon Tan said:

If they get their act together, they can even take all their toys with them.

Your asking a lot.....

[Simon Tan]

Only of the DoD. 

[RETAC21]

On 6/27/2021 at 12:57 PM, Roman Alymov said:

Russian AF excercises in Mediterranian (including deployment of Mig-31s redesigned to launcj Kinzhal missiles). See pilots using construction ladders to climb into the cabin, not standard ones - indicating redeployment was on short notice (probably following the fashion of unplanned excercises typical for Rus Army in last years) 

Train like you plan to fight

[Roman Alymov]

Smoke screens aroud Tartus base

[Daan]

Against what? It looks like everything is still visible on the ground.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Ive seen photos of WW2 targets that had better smoke cover than that.

[BansheeOne]

That's no smoke screen, those are target markers. 😁 

[Roman Alymov]

On 11/10/2021 at 5:47 PM, Daan said:

Against what? It looks like everything is still visible on the ground.

No idea. The only things we can tell from this images is that

a)It was pre-planned (ships with smoke charges sent out of harbor and seems like anchored, smoke charges distributed) across the base;

b)it is not some kind of big event – since standard burning smoke charges used, not truck-based smoke-generators;

c)Harbor approach is also covered

d) Seems like priority is to cover from sea/land view, not from above view;

e)The most covered part of harbor is empty.

My conclusion is it is the test of smoke screening of  approach and offload

[Josh]

Not sure what the goal would be of a smoke screen in this context.

[Roman Alymov]

S-300 family SAMs deployed to Tabqah airbase

Probably it is to provide extra weight to Su-35 fighters recently deployed to Kamyshly.

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

[Daan]

This is the MoD's press release.

 

[Roman Alymov]

Report about Russian suicide drones use in Syria

 

[Roman Alymov]

 

[Daan]

It was still burning during the day:

 

[Josh]

It looks like there were some definite secondaries in whatever caught fire.

[Daan]

I find it interesting that Israel always seems to wait until the ship has delivered its goods onto the quay, instead of sinking it in transit. This latter option would probably provoke Iranian retaliation against Israeli owned shipping.

[RETAC21]

36 minutes ago, Daan said:

I find it interesting that Israel always seems to wait until the ship has delivered its goods onto the quay, instead of sinking it in transit. This latter option would probably provoke Iranian retaliation against Israeli owned shipping.

probably because they use "neutral" shipping, it's easier to make a ship vanish than to publicly bomb a port